How often have you said “One day I am going to...” and then
followed this with a statement such as “...get in shape”, “...write a book”, “...learn
a new language”, “...run a marathon”, “...take up an instrument”, “...change my
career” only to end up not doing anything about it because you are not certain
that it is going to work. You then decide to put it off until a time in the
vague future when you do have certainty. The problem with this approach is that
there is no such thing as 100% certainty so more often than not people never
get round to pursuing their dreams. Instead we sabotage our dreams by making
excuses (“I don’t have time”, “I can’t afford it”, “I’m not good enough”, “I’m
not ready”) and then carry on with our lives as they are.
One problem with dreams is that people tend to focus on their
conclusion rather than the process of achieving the dream. This usually has the
effect of making it seem far too big and unachievable. For instance, if your
dream is to climb Everest and you haven’t actually done any exercise for two
years it may be quite intimidating to think about getting to the summit. The
best way to make a dream achievable is to turn it into a goal by breaking it
down into small pieces and then focus on the smallest piece first. So instead of focusing on getting to the
summit of Everest, set a goal to scale a local climbing wall first and then
move onto a slightly greater challenge. Focusing on the smaller parts of the
goal gives you greater motivation, belief and energy to achieve your dream.
Even the smallest step takes you towards your dream and creates a feeling that
you are working towards something worthwhile.
So what are you waiting for? Now
is the time to take action.
Andy Barton
Performance Consultant
