How often have you said or thought the following?
“Someday after . . .”
“My dream is
. . .”
“One of these days I’m going to . . .”
“When I get the time . . .”
“Sure wish I could . . .”
“Maybe I’ll do that when . . .”
“I wonder if . . .”
When it comes to pursuing our dreams, many of us have probably made excuses at one point
or another for procrastinating. A multitude of
reasons may keep us from taking the first step—or the next. Time, finances,
fearing failure . . . I could write a lengthy list. Making a dream become
reality takes pushing those obstacles to the side—or finding solutions for
removing them altogether.
Here are three tips my husband, Sonny, and I’ve
found helpful in reaching our personal dreams/goals.
1.
Talk
about your dream.
One of the things I’ve learned about myself is that
I may think about something for a long time, but when I start to verbalize it,
I’m serious about accomplishing it. I know my family and friends will keep me
accountable. They’ll question me on progress.
Examples: One of my dreams has been to write and
publish my own novels. I talked about it for years, but also worked hard to
prove to myself, family, and friends that I could actually do it. This dream is
becoming reality. In October, my debut novel will be released, followed by the
second book in the series in November.
Sonny has made it known that he wants to complete a
project in our back yard, but he wasn’t sure how to go about it. One
morning at a men’s breakfast at our church, he mentioned his goals to those sitting at the table with him. Since then, one of the guys has
been checking in on the status. He’s shared his expertise and is even willing to
help Sonny complete the job.
2.
Put it on the calendar.
Setting a completion date helps us keep on task. I
set release dates for my novels. But I also needed to set deadlines for myself
in order to get the manuscripts and other important information to my editors,
proofreaders, and cover designer when needed.
Sonny has devoted time on our calendar to getting
prep work done on his project so everything will be ready on the date our
friend is available to jump in.
3.
Make a financial commitment.
How many of us want to hand over a sum of money for
nothing? Most of us don’t have funds to waste, and even if we did, we’d prefer
not to squander our earnings.
As an indie author, I’m responsible for editing,
proofreading, interior design of the books, the book covers, marketing, etc. I
am my own publisher. I’ve chosen to tackle some tasks on my own, but I’ve paid
professionals to edit and create cover designs. Knowing that I’ve made a
financial commitment helps keep me on track with my goals.
Sonny made his own financial commitment and
purchased what he needed to complete the outdoor project before he even
started.
So, there you have it! Three simple tips.
What
other tips can you share?
Dawn
