Visions, dreams, aspirations, we’ve all got them. Lake house, African safari, Olympic gold
medals, having someone else clean the bathroom. All equally beautiful dreams. But how does
one go from dream to reality? First of all, stop calling it a dream. Make it a plan.
Now, how does one go from barely making ends meet to Lakehouse? I don’t have the road map
for that but I can tell you it starts by setting a goal. It’s how we achieve things.
Maybe you’ve already done that. Fantastic! But have you ever set a goal and not achieved it?
Literally, everyone raise your hand. We’ve all had that diet we abandoned, the workout class
we’ve skipped, the snooze button we’ve worn out. Setting the goal is the easy part. Achieving
the goal is a whole other level. In the beginning we are excited and motivated. That’s the
honeymoon phase. The honeymoon ends when life gets in the way. That’s where the excuses
seep in through the cracks and the proverbial towel gets tossed.
Intention highway is riddled with construction, traffic jams and scenic detours. So how do we get
to our destination amidst all the chaos? White knuckling is not really a sustainable way to drive.
Will and determination are definitely key components to goal achievement but tackling things
with only these elements is hella hard and exhausting.
So how do we avoid the ditch and stay the course? Like any good Boy Scout, we plan for every
scenario. We incorporate strategies, find people and create habits that will support us on our
journey.
These are the things that are going to make you successful, prop you up when you want to quit
and keep you on track. It’s making your lunch the night before so you have that extra five or 10
minutes in the morning or laying out your clothes the night before so that you have one less
decision to make. It’s that sleep App that wakes you at the optimal time so that you are
energized for the day. It’s that friend that checks in on you and holds you accountable. It’s that
person that can help you optimize your day by taking care of things that you don’t need to be
doing. It’s the technology that makes you more efficient. It’s the online grocery delivery that
saves you hours at the grocery store and prevents you from buying things that you don’t want to
be eating. It’s the google docs app on my phone with its talk to text feature that allows me to
write when inspiration strikes no matter where I am. All of these things, little as they may be,
add up to success.
No one knows you better than you. Pay attention to what trips you up. Put steps in place to
circumvent those moments. Make an emergency plan for when you are about to derail and then
make a back up plan for when that fails. Some wise person once said, it’s not how many times
you fall that matters, it’s how many times you get back up. Even if all your plans, habits and
support fail you, just get back up and start again. That goal is yours and it is just anxiously
pacing around waiting for you to make it real. Without you, your goal is just like a dude who lives
in his mom’s basement, full of wasted potential. Your goal is full of potential, don’t leave it in the
basement.
So who or what needs to support you to turn your dream into a plan? What small change can
you make today that’s going to make you a goal crushing rockstar tomorrow?
