Tips & Quotes on Changing your Dreams into Goals with a battle plan for success

“Nothing happens unless first we dream.” Carl Sandburg

 The first life changing experience I encounter by mail.  I was sixteen, it was the first real letter I received, and it changed my life.  Coincidentally, it was written by me and addressed to me at the same time.  One year prior, a friend invited me to a leadership camp called YLCC. I wasn’t a leader at the time, nor did I ever participate in leadership functions.  His catch was the girl to guy ratio, about 10 to 1, a great way to meet  new girls and have some fun.  I won’t delve in the details of the camp, but it was an oasis for the free spirit, a place to dance like no one is watching, be silly, and share everything you were afraid to share.  

“Dreams are the touchstones of our character.” Henry David Thoreau

Before the three day charade came to a conclusion, we were asked to write a letter to ourselves with all our dreams and goals for the next year.  So there I stood one year later, this letter in my hand, face to face with the power of the unconscious mind.  I realized in one year almost every single one of my goals.  Some were very far fetched and unlikely, but I achieved them.  People always write and talk about the power of goal setting; I experience it.  It was undeniable.

“The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.” Michelangelo

 I still have that first letter, and the many that I have written since.  I call them my Battle Plan for success. Before writing a new one, I reread all of the old ones again.  Each time I check off some forgot goal that I have since accomplished.  With each new plan, the dreams that I turn into goals, become more elaborate.

“If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps life moving, you lose that courage to be, that quality that helps you go on in spite of it all. And so today I still have a dream.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

I recently wrote a new plan which was long overdue.  I thought, I would share with you some tips for creating your own strategy; and perhaps share a little of the wisdom I have found.

“There is nothing like a dream to create the future.” Victor Hugo

1.)  Do it today, not tomorrow, or on the weekend, nor next week.  Today…Today…Today…

“I have learned, that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”  Henry David Thoreau

2.)  Start by writing an introduction stating why you’re writing this plan and what you hope to accomplish.

“Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams.”  Ashley Smith

3.)  Break the list down into categories, such as: Body, Mind, Social, Work, Finance, Travel, Family, and of course Pleasure.

“The most pitiful among men is he who turns his dreams into silver and gold.” Kahlil Gibran

4.)  Be as specific as possible, but never be reasonable.  Don’t limit yourself, no matter how crazy the dream seems, if you turn it into a goal, it becomes a possibility.

“Some men see things as they are and say, “Why?” I dream of things that never were and say, “Why not?”   George Bernard Shaw

5.)  Write what you hope to accomplish, but don’t stop there.  Keep writing about who you want to be, who you want to meet, what you want to feel, see, and smell.  Let your imagination run wild on the page, this is your letter to do with whatever you desire. 

“Dream no small dreams for they have no power to move the hearts of men.”   Goethe

6.)  Conclude by writing how you will accomplish this: hard work, will, desire, kindness, love, meditation, perspiration, etc.

“You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one.”  James A. Froude

7.)  Finally, sign it like it is a legal contract with yourself.  Then sit back read the list and smile at a plan for happiness and success.

“You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one, I hope someday you will join us, and the world will live as one.” John Lennon

8.)  Put the letter somewhere safe and forget about it.  When the roller coaster ride of life brings your spirits up or down, and you feel you need a boost.  Pull out the letter and proudly check off all the dreams that have become accomplished.                               

“A man’s dreams are an index to his greatness.”  Zadok Rabinowitz

9.)  Always remember….Write another letter….

“Dreams pass into the reality of action. From the actions stems the dream again; and this interdependence produces the highest form of living.”  Anais Nin

If you would like to contribute some insights, experiences or knowledge to this post, then please leave a comment below. 

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