Hey Chris,
Sometimes I feel confused about all the things I should being doing to reach my big dreams. It gets so bad that I don’t do anything at all. And then I really feel bad.
Got any advice here?
Signed,
Stuck but still dreaming
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Thank you stuck but still dreaming!
You are helping so many others by asking this question…including me!
You see, we all struggle with ALL that we could (not a fan of the “shoulds”) do to achieve our dreams.
Just as with most things in life, when it’s too big to take on, it stops us in our tracks. It overwhelms us and stalls us out.
The best approach is to ALWAYS start with this clarifying question.
Is this YOUR dream?
Next, you want to break it down into bite size, realistic and inspiring pieces.
Let’s look at each of these separately since one builds on the other.
Is this YOUR dream, big or small?
With all due respect, but is this a dream you desire because someone else has achieved it? Or, is it of your very own design?
Let me give you an example of what I mean. On YouTube, there is a whole industry made up of “influencers.” These are folks who recommend products to their community of followers and get paid by sponsors. It looks simple enough. Grow a community of people by delivering great content via video and make bank. In fact, there are videos showing you HOW to become an influencer!
I have watched a few “influencers” crash and burn because their dream was based on what they saw others doing and making money from it. What they didn’t know was ALL that happened behind the scenes that the “influencer” doesn’t want you to know. (Guess they think being “real” hurts their image.)
Take a look at that BIG dream, stuck, and be honest with yourself. Is it yours or did you “borrow” it from someone because it looked good on the outside?
Ask yourself…would you truly enjoy achieving this dream or would it cost more to sustain it once achieved? Because, let’s face it…dreams never die, they evolve.
Best way to “test” it out is to write about your best and worst day once you achieve that dream of yours. If you cannot see both sides of the coin, because they ALWAYS exist, then you may have picked up someone else’s energy.
Until you leave the planet, stuck, you can ALWAYS have a dream, big or small. So don’t think you gotta get it right, right now. Just make it YOURS to start with.
Next up…breaking it down.
Now once you’re clear that THIS is your dream, it’s time to break it into bite sized pieces to achieve it. There are any number of tools, resources, online and offline that help you “project manage” your dream.
Whenever I have a big project, I often start with the end in mind. What will the end result be? Then I can easily identify what needs to happen and when, in order to achieve that end result.
Examples often help…
As a speaker, I want to get on larger stages to share my message with an audience. My big dream! I can’t go from local networking events to a bigger stage in one shot. So I identified a BIG dream of speaking at a major healthcare conference. I checked their schedule for 1 year out and started doing the work to get in front of the event managers.
That included putting together a speakers reel, speaker sheet, publishing articles on the subject I would speak on, etc. I also started creating the presentation and road testing it so that I worked out the kinks.
See how I’m breaking it down into easily digested and realistic pieces?
Dearest stuck, let me give you a roadmap to get you moving again.
- Step 1 – Make sure it’s YOUR dream and fully embrace it – the good, the bad and the celebratory.
- Step 2 – Start with the end in mind and identify the simple, joyful steps you can take to get there.
I hope this helps and I’d love to hear what you took away from our conversation!
~ Fear nothing. Love everything.
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Thank you.