Want to Live Your Dream?
5 Keys to Changing Course
I hear from a lot of people at
various junctures along the road to right livelihood. Some are at the
very beginning, still trying to figure out which path is right for
them. Others have happily reached their destination. Others are midway
on their journey.
Regardless of where you are in the process, there are five keys to
changing course:
1. Set big -- and small goals
I know it sounds cliché, and especially at the start of the New
Year, but if you're really serious about taking control of your life,
you need to set some goals for yourself. Knowing that you want to
change your life or to work for yourself is a great start. But
expressing a desire is different than stating a goal.
In her Broadway show Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe, Lily
Tomlin's bag lady character remarks, "I always wanted to be somebody. I
realize now I should have been more specific."
Deciding you want to earn money by making and selling gift baskets is
much more specific than saying you want to make money doing something
creative.
But even here you need to get more precise.
One of the best ways to move a goal along is to quantify it. Using our
gift basket example, the key questions are how much money do you want
to make and by when. You can always shoot higher, but for now let's
think in terms of generating $5,000 in gift basket sales 2005.
From here you'd want to make your
goal both real and reachable by breaking it down into smaller more
manageable goals, like, for example, making and selling six gift
baskets by February 15th. Actually writing this date on your calendar
will make it even more real.
2. Figure out what it will take to reach your goal happen and
start doing it
A long-time subscriber named Joe
understands the importance of looking to others for inspiration. He
also understands how important it is to hear not just about people that
have followed their dream and made it happen, but also about, he says,
about "those currently traveling the pathway to a new career, setting
goals for themselves, managing to keep their dream alive and staying
focused on the goal of a new career."
And setting and working toward a goal is exactly what this 33 year old
software engineer from Maryland is doing. But I'll let Joe tell you
about his plans -- and progress -- in his own words:
"A year and a half ago I started reading a lot of real estate investing
books. I wanted to get into the medical field as a Physical Therapist
and needed a way to supplement my income. I took classes at
www.InvestorsUnited.com and for 10 months I soaked up all of the real
estate knowledge I could get."
"I worked with their advisors until I landed my first deal. It was a
rehab house and after I repaired it I made $28,000 profit for an
endeavor I spent five months on part-time. I was thrilled. I took this
money and used it to help purchase a rental property and another rehab
which I am now selling."
"I set goals for myself. My big goal is a career change at five years.
Presently I have four years left. I plan on generating enough income to
cover all of my expenses. I also have smaller goals.
"At the two year mark I plan to
make $1,000 net cash flow per month. At three years I plan to make $2,000 net cash flow per month.
This will allow me to pursue Physical Therapy without worrying about
money!
"I have volunteered in two
hospitals and determined that this is where I belong."
"This is my journey. It's hard to wake up every morning and go to my
current job. However I now see an end in sight. I know that in a few
years I will be enjoying helping people everyday. And when that day
comes, it will be a dream come true."
Some of you are probably saying, "Five years! I can't wait that long."
You don't have to. Joe's goal is very specific -- to generate enough
money from real estate to be able to fully support him during his
schooling. Depending on your goals, your financial situation, your
level of commitment, and the amount of time you're willing to invest,
you can certainly change course in far less time.
Whether you want to be living your new life in five years or in five
months, the point is to set a goal, quantifying it, and then, one day
at a time, take the small steps actions required to make your goal
happen.
3. Live life now
Shooting for a future goal is great. But I received a deeply moving
email this week that reminded me of the importance of also remembering
to live life fully in the moment. The email was from a woman named Pam
who wrote to thank me for inspiring her partner Bruce, a man I never
met but in some small way, I apparently encouraged to live his dream.
Pam has generously allowed me to
share her and Bruce's story with you.
Before he was killed instantly in a traffic accident last week Bruce
was living his dream. Bruce had been a computer consultant who,
explained Pam, tired of the cubicle life. "Although he made a boatload
of money doing it, he realized that there was more out there to do. He
always wanted to do something purposeful with his life, and didn't see
that the programs he wrote made much of an impact.
Pam went on to say that she and
Bruce lived together for two very wonderful years, "living our dream.
We both left the corporate grind, had opened our own business as
massage therapists. Bruce was a wonderful man. He had healed so much in
his life and many times said, 'If I'm to be the kind of spiritual man I
wish to be, then I need to work on this.' He was making a difference in
people's lives on a daily basis. I'm so very grateful for every moment
that we shared. We were blessed to have many friends. And I plan to
continue our dream."
Although I never had the privilege of meeting Bruce, he sounds like a
truly remarkable human being and one who will be missed by many. How
wonderful that while he was among us Bruce was living his dream. Pam's
strength, her gratitude in the face of unspeakable grief and her
resolve to continue to live their dream is inspiring indeed.
When we think about goals, we tend to think about achieving some future
result. And yet as John Lennon once observed, "Life is what's happening
when you're making other plans." Bruce's story serves as an important
reminder that even while you strive to reach your future
goals, you must live life now and with as few regrets as possible.
4. Break a rule
Sometimes changing course can begin with the simple act of shaking up
your normal routine. Take Barbara, a former coworker of mine from my
corporate days. Most people spend their Saturday mornings in a frenzy
of house cleaning and errands. Barbara does this stuff too but not
until after she's indulged herself by crawling back into bed with a cup
of coffee and popping in a suspense movie.
Spending your Saturday morning watching a movie may not be your cup of
tea, but surely there is some small fun thing you can do to shake
things up.
If you tend to read self-help
books try a romance novel. Walk your dog in a totally new place or
drive a different way to work.
Visit your local historic
society or museum. On the first day of each month have ice cream for
breakfast. Go to the movies on a weeknight.
Experiencing small changes can
make the bigger ones seem more doable.
5. Use the one step a day approach
When I was desperately trying to get myself out of corporate America, I
promised myself that I would not go to bed at night until I had taken
at least one small step toward my goal. It doesn't have to be a big
step.
For example, I knew that at least in the short term, leaving my job-job
would mean I'd be earning less money. So one day I brainstormed a list
of ways to supplement my income. I have a finished basement with a bath
so one idea was rent it out to a commuting grad
student who needed a place to stay during the week.
The next day I stopped by the
hardware store to see what I could find out about sound proof ceiling
tiles. The following day I looked up the web site for the housing
office at the local college and so on.
Not only do small steps add up but just as important is the sense of
momentum you'll gain. And once you get started on a dream, it's hard to
stop!
"The big break for me," said Jon Stewart of the Daily Show, "was
deciding that this is my life."
Another year is upon us. Since
this indeed your life, let this be the year you start making your
dreams happen.
~ ~ ~
from
The Changing Course Newsletter -
The free newsletter
dedicated to helping you: ~ Live Life on Purpose
~ Work at What
You Love ~ Follow Your
Own Road
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.. ..
Off the
beaten
path career counselor Valerie Young abandoned her corporate cubicle to
become the Dreamer in Residence at ChangingCourse, offering resources
to
help you discover your life mission and live it.
An
expert on
the Imposter Syndrome, she's presented her How to Feel as Bright and
Capable
as Everyone Seems to Think You Are program to over 30,000 people.
Find
more articles
by Valerie, the newsletter,
and other resources and programs at her site
Changing
Course
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