Dream It. Own It. Take It.

3 Steps to Help Shape your Dreams and to Ignite Your Path for Success

Survey Results are in – – and it isn’t what you think!

Only 4% of us are living our wildest dreams. The other 96% of us?  Not so much.

Our recent survey results reveal that most of us don’t even know what our wildest dreams are, and the rest of us cite that money, fear, and time are the biggest barriers between where we are and where we want to be.

Why?  I’ve got a hunch … 

• Too many of us are running as fast as we can, with job and family responsibilities, to really know what we want.
• Some of us are on that corporate treadmill, and our own goals and passions have been subsumed by the corporate mission. 
• Too many of us have invested a ton in medical school, law school, doctorate programs, an MBA, two decades advancing in a business or career and are afraid to give up what we have to gain a more balanced life.
• And some of us haven’t given dreaming a chance – it feels like a luxury to even imagine what better could look like or invest in a personal vision? 

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3 steps to help you shape your dreams and ignite your path to success:

1. DREAM IT

Yes, dream.  Day dream.  Take a one week, 30-min a day challenge in order to reimagine a better life for you. 

Remove the distractions of social media, text messages, email, screen time, work and family stress. Turn off the music and podcasts that fill your head, and let yourself have a quiet, silent moment to think for 30 uninterrupted minutes a day. 

Take out a pad of paper and begin to write out what is important to you. What are your core values and goals?  For starters, consider these four areas: 

• Your life – your relationships/family, your finances, and your health.
• Your career – not just what you do, but how you develop yourself within your profession to find value and meaning in the area where you earn a living
• Your personal joy – what you do for fun and joy
• Your personal impact – how you serve others, to include volunteering and contributing to your community

Also really listen to yourself. Let yourself have some time to consider what would make life more satisfying and better for you. 

Let your mind wander. Daydreaming is a powerful tool that can help us be more creative, more insightful, more innovative. Research shows that when our mind wanders, different parts of our brain activate, and that can be powerful. When we are unmoored, mentally speaking, it can help you reimagine a better life and help you Bet on You.

If you cannot get pen to paper with anything specific, go take a walk – but be sure to allow yourself to have a quiet space; if you must have music, let it be without words or lyrics that can fill your head; ease into some jazz, classical, or instrumental pop music.  

Need some help? I talk a lot about dreaming in Chapter 1-3 in my book “Bet on You: How to Win with Risk.” Need more help? Of course, I am always on standby for you to help with personal, executive or career coaching. As a leadership expert and former marine corps captain, it is my favorite area of expertise to help others achieve success. On a budget? I am also launching an incredible program  in January that is jam-packed with two decades of my experience that can help you achieve your dreams – – and reach for the stars! Strapped for time? This course will allow you to do it at your own pace. Intrigued? Click here if you are interested and you will be the first to be in the know.  

2. OWN IT

The next step is to really own your dreams and commit to making your goals your priority.

These are your dreams! Once you’ve set your sights on a dream that matters, you’ve got to take full accountability for that goal. You have to honor it by owning it.  

You have to see obstacles as just that, and move past them or move to alternative paths to get there. Some people have a roadblocks in blaming external factors:

• blame the HR team for not getting callbacks on your resume
• blame admissions for not accepting to that graduate program you were seeking
• blame a bad boss for lack of recognition

It would be easy to play the blame-game and wallow in despair. But the truth is, you can frequently overcome obstacles by looking internally for how you can own it and act differently, to discover solutions you can pave the way to success. 

I once wrote an article about having an abundant mindset – – that helps you powerfully own your choices. 

You also have to dedicate time for progress and focus on your new interests.

It is no easy task. Some people like to have an accountability partner, to help them set next steps. It can help enlighten you on additional options or challenges, bounce off ideas, and keep you inspired!

3. TAKE IT

Once you know what your dreams are and you have committed to owning your ambitions, the next step is to Take It. To understand the urgency to act. To Seize the Day!

I often say, “It’s not a line at the fair, you don’t need to wait your turn. Take it.” 

This is your life. It’s your turn to act. Take it. 

Don’t wait for the sun, moon, and stars to align perfectly in order to act. Instead, build a plan of action, one step at a time. 

I also often say, “Seek the Heat” and what I mean by that is to be intentional about discovering opportunities you can step into, that will help you stretch and grow. And when you find those opportunities . . . you may find they scare you a little, and that’s good. In those moments, don’t be afraid of the heat. Because growth is the reward! 

The more we “seek the heat” the better we become at being uncomfortable, at winning with risk, and with betting on ourselves. 

My best,

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EPISODE 55

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