Turn Your Life Dreams Into Goals That Are Achievable
There is an amazing ancient Chinese saying that says that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. In order to be able to turn your dreams into reality you must first turn them from dreams into achievable goals…
Starting the dream list:
Let’s start your personal goal-setting process now by listing a broad range of things you’d like to accomplish, experience, or own. Make sure you set no limits on their price or what you presently think your chances of ever achieving them are. This is a process I have used to accomplish writing my own marketing book and starting my own golf course management company so be sure to be one hundred percent honest with yourself.
On a blank sheet of paper right now, begin to write until you have 100 things written down in front of you. Call it a Wish list, a Dream list, a Wants list, a What I Need List. It doesn’t matter what you call the list. Just pick up a pencil and write.
(Or you can copy and paste this article into your text editor and then fill in your answers.)
Where are the ten places you must visit before you die?
List your top ten places to visit here:
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What are ten events you’d really love to experience first-hand?
What events would be so amazing that you would more than likely talk about them for the rest of your life?
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What ten skills would you most like to acquire?
What would you like to become brilliant at?
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What does your dream home look like?
Describe your perfect home…
What town is your dream house located in?
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How many bedrooms?
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How many baths?
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What color is the kitchen?
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What type of flooring?
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What style?
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How will you decorate?
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How many square feet?
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How much money would you like to earn per year?
What amount would provide for your family, with everything you need, plus ample left over for your life savings?
When will you retire?
And how much income will you need to for your family to live on?
To be safe, do not forget to add at least 4% inflation per year! (Of course, I don’t think any of that retirement money ever goes to clothing.)
What type of physical shape would you like to be in?
What weight would you like to be?
How many more miles would you like to be able to run, cycle or swim with relative ease?
Did you know that most people who run marathons start running at the age of forty three? The middle-aged gut becomes the middle-age motivation.
What negative habits [like smoking cigarettes] would you like to eradicate?
What would you like your family to experience over the next 5 years?
A trip to the amazing coastlines of California, Maine, or Florida?
Perhaps you would like to be able to send your children to a private school or a special sports camp in the summer?
A cruise to the eastern Caribbean?
Maybe you want to take your family to Disney World in Florida. (Just be careful not to go on It’s A Small World, you will not be able to get that song out of your head for a long time!)
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What ten toys would you most like to own?
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What five things would give you the greatest sense of accomplishment in your business life?
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What ten things would give you the greatest sense of accomplishment in your personal life?
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Turning dreams into goals.
Start your goal setting process by creating a list of dreams. Force yourself to write down 100 things before you go back and fine tune your list.
List all of the places you want to visit, life experiences you would like to have and toys you would like to own like a new Audi RS4. List things you would like to accomplish in life, skills you would like to acquire and the amount of money you would like to make.
Detail the type of house you would like to own, the business or career you would like to create and the lifestyle you’d like your family to enjoy.
From this magnificent list you just made, pick the 10 most exciting things and add deadline dates for them. Next, go back and set in-between or halfway goals for each. Finally, the last thing you must do is list short-term goals that will contribute to the achievement of the transitional goals and ultimately the long-term goals.
There is not a limit to the quantity of goals that you set, just make sure you list only the ones that you are truly dedicated to attaining.
