Envision Your Vision

Everything that has ever been built has a set of blueprints.  An idea, a dream.

The idea takes shape, a plan is made.

Then with effort, work, and desire the idea slowly evolves into reality.

Set backs come, but that is part of the challenge.  Making a dream come true does not happen overnight.  It takes work, it takes tenacity.  Step by step things take shape until one day the vision becomes a reality.

I've talked with writers who want to publish their books.  I've even published several interviews with writers, and I've joined with several other writer/bloggers in our Blog Ring of Power and done extensive author interviews.  The thing they all have in common is wanting to see their work in print.  They learned their trade. Worked alone, crafted their stories, edited, queried, sent out letters. Waited. Waited.  Waited some more.

 Then success a publisher/agent was interested in their story. 

More editing, more work, but eventually their dream became a reality.

Sticking to the task.  Working when they really didn't want to work.  Just a little more.  Eventally the hard work paid off.  A lot of times the concept and reality don't match up.  But if the dream wasn't envisioned then it would never have become a reality.

So go ahead and dream, but dream big.  Don't be afraid to have big dreams.  If they are to come true the work needed to make them a reality may be hard, but if the dream is worth it, the work needed will be worth it as well.

Everything is created twice.  Once in the mind, and then again in reality.

Follow up on the dreams, learn what it will take to make it come true.  If it is you passion, and you have the drive and if it is something worth pursuing then the dream will be a reality.

Don't quit, never give up.  Stick to it.  Set those goals, put time aside to work on it.  Eventually you will succeed.  Dreams have power.  Use that power to succeed. 

Thursday's Time Tip: Focus on Goals pt 2: Midrange Goals

Split times, mile markers, and lunch breaks.  These are all points to let us know where we are.  As a swimmer, runner, or racer split times let you know how you are doing, if you are on the right pace, need to go faster, or slower.  Split times let you know how you are doing.  On a road trip the mile marker gives you feedback as to where you are on your journey.  At the beginning, middle or near the end.  Lunch breaks are great, you're halfway through the work day!

Mid range goals are the mile markers of success.  They are the points along your journey that help complete those long range goals.  Remember the five year plan?  These are the intermediate goals, the mile marker, the big goals that help you make the bigger goal.

So you've set up the long range goal.  Get a degree, build a house, write a novel, retire, to name a few.  There are major things that must be done to complete the larger goal.  Loan for a home, or get accepted into a university or collage.  Find a publisher.  These things are not hard to do, they just take some time, some planning, some down time to think through.

A lot of people fail at their goals, not because the goal isn't worthy, they just don't take the time to plan out how they will complete the goal.  Busy life make for a hard time to set goals and map out a plan to make it.  Successful people are those that do the things that other people don't want to do.

So lets start with a dream.  Say a dancer wants to own her own dance studio.  She is good at dancing.  So her five year plan is:

I own my own successful dance studio.

Now what will it take to have a dance studio?

A building.

Students

Teachers


Some business savvy perhaps?

So the midterm goals could be:

Get a business degree.
become a dance teacher

So our dancer needs to research business and dance schools.  She is talented and does well, so she gets a job as a dance teacher.  She can learn how to do the work, but the collage classes will teach her what she will need to do to be a successful business owner.

She will need to find a school that will work for her.  Learn what needs to happen to be accepted into the school.  Earn money for tuition.

So her list of things for midterm goals would be:

I have a job that will allow me to go to school.
I am accepted into business school
I make great grades.
I have a realtor.

So as she completes the things needed she is getting closer to her big goal, having her own successful dance studio.  So that is why a dancer is in an economics class.

She will need to write a business proposal for the bank to get a loan.

She will need a realtor to help her find a suitable building, or a builder to build a custom studio.

As you stop and think of things the list can grow and seem daunting.  Don't let it stop you.  That dream, that goal can be achieved.  Take the time to plan, set up the mid term goals and deadlines for key things to happen.

So what do you want to do?  What will you need to do to get there?

This seems simple enough, and obvious, but a lot of people do not take the time to do this simple part.  Set up the mile markers for your journey to complete the five year plan.  Research and figure out what it will take to get to be where you want to be.  Then get out there and do it!

Thursday's Time Tip: Focus on Goals: Long Range

I like this quote, "Remember when you see a man at the top of a mountain, he didn't fall there. 

– anonymous"

To get to the top of that mountain takes planning and follow through.  But first it takes desire, that fellow wanted to be on top of that mountain.  Getting to the top was his goal.

A lot of successful businesses have a “five year plan”.  I’ve heard jokes where the punch line is, “Oh, that is on the five year plan.”    The idea is to map out where you would like to be in five years.  How can you project where you want to be in five years?  Grief some days I can not predict what I’ll be doing in the next 10 minutes, let alone worry about next week!

I look at things this way.  We are on the river of life.  Are we clinging to a log and going where the current takes us?  Or, are we on a raft, with a pole pushing away from the rocks and shore line?  Or are we in a comfortable yacht sipping drinks and listing to music and enjoying the voyage? 

I want to be on the sail boat all comfy and enjoying the cruise.  So how do you let go of the log, get off the raft, and climb aboard the ship?  By setting goals and working towards them.  The nice thing about the boat is you are in control of where you will be on the river, not at the mercy of the river.  You have to understand the currents and flow, but you use them to get to where you want to be.

 

So what matters most?  I’m not talking about things, I’m discussing life and relationships.  Things are great, but trying to get the big house, nice TV, big car, or what ever the item is, once you have it then what?  How is the relationship with your spouse/significant other?  With your parents, children, friends?  What are you doing to make those things better?  Yes, a nice place to live is important.  Income is important.  Those items do help make life a lot more pleasant.  But what good is a great home if the family living there is broken?

So look at your life.  Where are you now?  Where would you like to be?  Where do you want to be five years from now?

Decide what you want and write the goal as if you already have the goal is accomplished.

I own my own successful business.

I am a published author.

I enjoy my new home with my family.

I enjoy my retirenment and spend time with my grandchildren.

I have a collage degree and have a new career

I think you get the idea.  How to get to these long range goals depends on midterm and short term goals.  The rest of this month’s Thursday’s tips will focus on the other types of goals and tricks for achieving them.  That way the five year plan will work.  These are not just dreams.

Case in point.  Several years ago I saw some houses being built.  I love to go through homes, looking at the construction and the floor layout.  So when I got home I told my wife about the houses.  I said, “Lets go walk through them and see what they look like.”

“No, I don’t want to,” She replied.

“Why not? It will be fun.”

“Because you’ll start dreaming about them, and I’m not ready to move yet.”

She understood that I would start to think about changing things, and setting goals and making things happen so we could get a new home.

I took her no as a great compliment.  (We did eventually look at the homes, and yes I did build a nice home and moved the family into it.)

So if you do not like where you are at in life right now, where do you want to be?  If you are happy, what do you need to do to stay?  The river is flowing, and we will be going down the river, how we go is up to the goals you need to set.  What is your five year plan?

Take the time to write down some long range goals.  Look at your relationships, your finances, your situation.  Next week I’ll discuss mid range goals.  The steps that you’ll need to take to make the five, ten, or even 20 year plan come into focus and achievable. 

What do you think?  What have I missed?  Any other thoughts on setting five year plans?

Becoming Your Own Champion

What makes a champion a champion? We’ve all seen the sports world with the winning person/team. The winning Olympic Champion(s) stand on the podium and receive their medal and see their nation’s flag and hear their national anthem. Race drivers drink milk. Football teams hold up a trophy. Baseball teams run out on the mound and pound each other on the back.




Olympic Medal Stand
Michael Steele/Allsport/Getty Images


That one moment in many instances takes a life time to achieve. It is no accident they are standing on that podium. Pick your favorite winner. What did they do to get their? There is a common thread through all of these champions.

Dedication and hard work. And the main ingredient? A vision, a goal.
Goals are the tools of champions. I’ve also heard it said that champions are willing to do those things others are not willing to do.

So there are big goals and smaller goals. Long range goals need short term goals. Goals are the tools you need to master your life.

Alan Lakein put it this way, “Time = Life. Therefore, waste your time and waste your life, or master your time and master your life.”

I’ll state the obvious: writers want to publish a book. A runner wants to win a marathon. A business owner wants to grow during an economic downturn. How is it done?

By looking at where you want to be and taking stock of where you are. You can’t publish a book, if it isn’t written. You can’t in a marathon if you sit on the sofa eating potato chips while watching TV. The business does not run itself; the owner has to have a vision and a good work ethic.

So goals look like this.

I have a published book (October 2013) – The goal.

I have an agent (October 2012) – Mid range goal.

I have a winning query letter (June 2012)

I have a fantastic synopsis (June 2012)

I have a final draft (May 2012)

I will write x of words today – daily goal.

I have a fantastic outline, or a great idea, I know my characters. Etc.
It is a long process, but one many writers have taken, and have agreed was well worth pursuing.

Writing is a slow process. A solo process. A lonely process. Once the book is out there and is selling you’ve won. However, unlike the sports folks, you won’t stand on a podium and receive a medal amongst all the fanfare. But the feeling will be the same.

So manage your time. Set goals and work towards them. When that happens this formula will work for you: Time = Life. Therefore, waste your time and waste your life, or master your time and master your life. Become the champion you wish to become.

What goals do you need to set? Where are you in your publishing journey? What are you doing daily to reach your goal?