I am not a fan of business plans and I am not a fan of having dreams, but the reality is that many people believe the two are necessary in order to succeed in business. In my younger days, I never made a plan and I certainly never really dreamed much, but I always was willing to work to get to the destinations I set forth in my head. There is a big difference between having a destination and having a dream as a destination typically has a path to it, while a dream is typically disconnected from someone’s ability to find a path to it.
So many people dream of being millionaires, successful, or simply in control of their lives, but yet so many have no idea what the path to getting there looks like. So why is there such a disconnect from people and their dreams?
Perhaps understanding the real idea behind a plan can help you align the stars and no longer dream but instead recognize and convert your dreams into destinations you can actually reach. Here is a breakdown of what you can do to get further than ever before:
1) Make sure the actions align with the expectations.
You expect to be a millionaire by 25 and yet you are 23 and jobless, and refuse to work for others. Sounds familiar?
Well here is the reality, those types of goals and unrealistic expectations will prevent you from gaining any traction at any given time as your expectations and actions are completely misaligned. If you want to become a millionaire by the age of 25 and you are 23, you have to break down your expectations that you need to be making $500,000 a year to reach such a goal. Since less than 1% of the world makes that type of cash per year, you may want to start considering getting a job, day in, day out, while starting 2-3 businesses and becoming an expert trader. Possible, but very unrealistic.
The goal is to ensue that you set real goals and not cut yourself short in the time it will take you to get there. Too often do we forget that while our dreams may include driving a Lamborghini in 2 years, we won’t get there doing what we were doing 5 years ago. If 5 years later we still don’t have one, why would the same actions in the next 2 years create a different outcome?
Another simple example is that guy whose goal is to recreate a better Facebook or Instagram and revolutionize the world in the next 2 years. While that dream is OK, keep in mind that the people who created such destinations spent years doing so, without looking at someone else’s work and planning to better it. They were the ones who invented that very same concept you want to rip off.
2) Adapt and change often, but stay on course.
While you may have found a gig that is making you some money, nothing good or bad lasts forever and growth is about adapting to change before change forces you to adapt. A great case study and student of our academy got his business to over $40,000 in gross sales a month only to be met with copycats and many competitors coming out and taking a piece of his marketshare.
Understanding that even great times will come to an end unless you can adapt and continue to push forward despite there not being an immediate need to. Too often we set destinations and make huge progress moving forward only to get comfortable and believe that we are getting there at incredible speeds but forget that the momentum we created started as a result of tons of work. In order for it to continue you will need to continue putting in the same effort. Take your eyes off the destination and you may soon realize that you are not the only one heading there.
3) Forget chatter, and stay on track.
Poor people always have a firmer stance on their beliefs and impose them on others. I posted a picture of a cat looking in a mirror that sees himself as a lion with a quote about being realistic. Those who commented the most were those with the least of accomplishments talking abut my view on the situation being limited. Think about this concept for one sec.
A millionaire that most follow because of respect posts a picture and some great guidance but yet the 4-5 people who disagreed with the concept were ones who had yet to accomplish anything. Does that make any sense?
Yes and it is very common as most people who tend to have lots of opinions and advice are typically not the best ones to get it from. Understanding how to ensure that the advice and direction you take comes from people that have reached a similar destination is the key to succeeding and eliminating chatter.
4) Be honest with yourself. Are you willing to give it everything?
In the game of success, you and only you are the one reaping the benefits of your victories or the pain from your failures. Yet many people often lie to themselves about how great they are or how far they’ve come. Pretending to be more than you are only separates you further from your destination as you start losing sight of the real destination since you have so many imaginary ones in reach. Think about your assessment of yourself as a means to keep yourself on track and ensure you are growing towards your goals.
Re-evaluating your dreams through these 4 steps will allow you to convert your dreams into incredible goals, which eventually turn into incredible destinations. While it may seem easier said than done, there is a reason why they only build 1000 or so exotic cars a year and yet they build 100,000+ Hondas, it is partly because the product is exclusive but primarily because there are only a few people who will turn their dreams into destinations.
