Last night I was doing a little shopping. As I was making one of my purchases, the sales person asked me where I was from. I responded that while I live in West Virginia now, I am from Washington State. Unexpectedly, his eyes lit up and he asked where I had lived, claiming his dream was to move to Seattle…someday.
Make a plan, I said. Hope is not a strategy. Make a plan.
Do you have a dream? Do you have a goal you want to achieve…someday? What are you doing to make it your reality?
Here’s the thing…if you don’t make a plan, your plan, life has a way of making one for you. Or rather, life happens and it doesn’t always lead you where you want to go. People in your life will guide you in the directions they want you to go, which may be fun, interesting, adventurous even, but maybe not where you want to go.
How do you take control? It’s simple, really, but maybe not easy!
Make taking time out for reflection a priority, every day. Take the time to think about what you want from life, then map out a plan to achieve it. Then, of course, you must take the steps required to actually put your plan into action and start moving toward your dream.
You don’t have to see your whole dream in every detail, but if you can see enough of it to see the first couple of steps with clarity, it’s time to get moving. Don’t worry that you can’t see every step or whether you have all the resources you think you need to get there…just get started.
Do it afraid!
It’s amazing what will happen once you start. If you are truly passionate about what you’re doing, committed to making it happen, and tell people about your journey, you will be amazed at the people who step up to support you. You will get what you need along the way — whether it’s people, knowledge, a new skill, or any number of other kinds of resources.
But if you do nothing but hope, you will wake up one morning some years down the road and ask yourself, “How did I get here?” noting that where you ended up is not where you wanted to be. (Yes, Kyle from the Mac Store, this is for you! I will be watching for my postcard from your new home in Seattle.)
As my mentor, Paul Martinelli, says, “Do the thing, and you will get the energy to do the thing.”
Hope is not a strategy. Make a plan. The best day to get started is today.
What is your dream? What are you doing to make it your reality?
