3 proven methods for making dreams come true
Yesterday, I attended my niece’s Grade 8 graduation. Shout out to her for setting goals and putting in a lot of effort in academics, sports, volunteering and other extracurricular activities to obtain the Most Improved Student award! Hooray and keep up the good work!
As each student walked across the stage to receive a diploma, the announcer read a one-paragraph vision of their career and life goals in 15 years. Some visions were designed for a laugh; others were aspirational. We heard of quieter lives locally with family and achievable careers to tech billionaires or sports stars with lifestyles of the rich and famous, and a spectrum in between. Whatever the image, families and friends could see the promise of the young people present, and we hope they achieve their dreams, happiness and success.
For those reaching for the stars with their visions, we know that a combination of factors gets you there. Reverend Jesse Jackson tells students, “If you can conceive it and believe it, you can achieve it,” and that “Your Attitude not your Aptitude will determine your Altitude.” Conception, belief, and attitude give you the confidence to go after your dream, but the recipe for making them come true also includes planning, action, and hard work.
We’ve heard about someone’s “overnight success”, but further exploration shows they were toiling for a decade before being “discovered”. There are the Nashville singer-songwriters who craft words and music for others for years before launching their solo careers. Even the Beatles and the Rolling Stones built their fan base over a few years before achieving stardom. And after seven decades of activity, the Rolling Stones truly inspire people with their work ethic.
Harrison Ford is another excellent case for vision, hard work, and the long game. He ventured to Hollywood in the 1960s and, unhappy with the roles he was getting, became a self-taught carpenter to Hollywood’s elite, continuing to act and audition and get small parts along the way. After 10 years, his connections landed him an audition with George Lucas, and ultimately, he became a household name as Hans Solo in the first Star Wars.
Returning to our Grade 8s… Fast forward 15 years and many will have launched careers. They will have made it through the obstacle course of youth, coming through tough situations by making decisions that burnished their characters.
Some will have had harder journeys, navigating mental health, self-confidence, financial, and emotional challenges of family disruptions and life stressors such as death, divorce, violence, or job loss. Ideally, they will have found ways through difficulties and charted to their north star, remembering their Grade 8 vision as they set their course to adulthood.
Having a vision in mind is important. But how will the Grade 8s – or you - make dreams a reality? We’re going to cover three methods here: vision boards, journaling, and talking with people.
1. Create a vision board. Picture yourself and what you want 5, 10, or 15 years in the future. What will your life or career look like? What will you have accomplished when you look back? Your vision board is something you can put on the wall to inspire you to act toward your goals. Depending on your space available, this could be everything from an 11” x 17” sheet of paper to a whole wall devoted to your inspirations and aspirations. This could be something that you write on, draw pictures on, collage from magazine words or images, or a combination of these. I love the aspirational and creative elements of the vision board practice.
2. Journal. I am a firm believer in writing things down to accomplish goals and objectives, and am a consummate list maker. However, in contrast to the vision board, journalling has never resonated much with me. So this is a case of “Do as I say, not as I do.” However, many people greatly value regular journaling as a way to plan, write, reflect, analyze, and act. People who find a quiet space and a consistent time slot in their schedule successfully reap the benefits of journaling.
3. Talking with People. This isn’t just any talking. Rather, it is the purposeful putting it out there of what your goals and objectives are, how you are working toward them, and what insights you would like from other people. Helping others builds social capital and helps us feel good about ourselves. So telling people your goals will not only increase your commitment to them because you’ve publicly stated them, it will also make more people aware of them, and they may be able to help you with advice or connections based on their experience or network. This is the virtuous circle, as they get to feel good that they helped you. When you precisely state your goals to people working in and around your areas of interest, say through information interviews, they can provide more specific insights.
So, whether you are looking out 5, 10 or 15 years in your career planning, these are three techniques to use in gaining insights, course correcting along the way, and navigating to your goals.
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