With so many roles that we tend to play in this day and age, it seems increasingly difficult to find the time to work on our short-term and long term goals. It seems more and more like we end up working on what we HAVE to instead on what we WANT to work on.
If you are a person that is the least bit ambitious, you have probably asked yourself these questions, When can I get away and work on that dream project of mine? When will I have time to start building that business I have always wanted to start?
The answer of course, is always easier than we think.
The simple idea that life is a journey and not a destinations should tell you that you have the opportunity to lay down the foundation brick by brick, if that is all you can put into it. I do not recall anyone ever saying that if you had a dream you had to reach it as soon as possible.
It may feel like you want to achieve your dreams as soon as possible but there is a road you have to travel and that road is available to you 24 hours a day 365 days a year.
Since I am usually pressed for time, I try to find any spot in the day (or night) where I can take at least one step in the right direction. In this case, this truly is, “one small step for man”, and it may possibly be “one giant leap for mankind”.
The idea for this stems form the thought that any worthwhile goal is going to have many actions behind it. If this is truly the case then why not start with what you have and from where you are right now. Chances are there will never be that “perfect time” to get started. Life just does not work like that.
You have to find a way. You have to make things happen and this is a very good way to make them happen.
When I say take one step daily, I mean daily. Not only on the weekdays, not only when we feel good, not even when we think we find have the time. If we practice taking one step a day we will be at least 300 something days closer to our goals every year. (taking a few days off for holidays or emergencies)
Which do you think will get you closer to your goals?
Taking one step daily until you arrive? OR waiting for that time where life is so quiet that we can finally get in the groove of things and work on a worthwhile goal.
How long have you been waiting for your life to quiet down?
With this one item a day formula at least you have the satisfaction of knowing you are doing something to get you closer to achieving your goals and who knows, you may be able to graduate to two items a day at some point.
I know there may be some super achievers out there pulling their hair out saying, “NO!! you have to work on your goals at least two hours a day!”
My point is that not everyone can allocate that much time to anything, let alone a dream or goal that is somewhat out in the future. At least this way you can begin working on your goals in a steady consistent manner and if the day ever comes that you do have the time to invest half of your day into your dreams, Why not????
I hope this post was helpful. If you enjoyed it and feel that it may be useful feel free to share it and spread it around to your friends and colleagues by retweeting, facebooking and or forwarding by email.
Feel free to let me know what you think, If you agree or disagree it’s all ok with me, just let me know and we can start a dialogue about it.
Take Care.
27. July 2010 at 7:52 PM
Jose,
I like your point of view here. It’s not about the “time” you put in, it’s about the quality and movement of what you do each and every day.
Thanks for standing on this platform of integrity.
Val
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Caraballo & Associates Reply:
July 28th, 2010 at 8:47 PM
I totally agree, unfortunately not everyone can dedicate 4 hours a day but does that really mean you should not have at least “some” forward motion.
Thanks for the visit Val!
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3. August 2010 at 7:22 PM
I love this blog Jose because it hits home to me and I’m sure many other Network Marketers. We must keep focused. Yes I have a few “Dream Goals” but I really know I can’t just get there by doing nothing.
Even if I take baby steps to reach them. I walk carefully, which is to say, I have to discipline myself every day to reach those goals. I made a commitment to myself to do a certain amount of time on several projects. The kicker here is that I always take some time out to enjoy the day. Although I enjoy my work, I don’t put a time factor on it. I am a person with family, friends, and situations in life do come up.
The point here is not to look at the clock, but instead put your heart and soul into the things you need to do TODAY. But always remember to take a break. Go out…get away from the computer, cell phones, etc. Enjoy the day. This is what makes me feel rich!
Thanks Jose for the great post.
Donna
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3. August 2010 at 8:52 PM
Hi Jose,
My philosophy is we can create forward motion and get results in our lives every single day. Life will NEVER be quiet completely and if we wait for that “perfect moment” to go for our dreams, we will be sorely disappointed because it will never come. The questions you share here in this post may not be easy for some people to answer, but they are indeed important…if results are what you honestly want!
Getting ready to get ready plagues so many good people, keeping them from moving forward. I don’t think this topic can be written about enough. You never know whose life you will change because you took the time to challenge people with provocative questions!
Great post, Jose!
Mary Lou
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4. August 2010 at 2:50 PM
Hi Jose, Great post! Doing a few simple things repeatedly over time will keep that forward motion going. Having laser sharp focus and making your actions high quality will be effective. Strive to be just a little bit better everyday than the last. Thanks for sharing these great insights in your post!
~Kara
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5. August 2010 at 3:09 AM
Hi Jose,
You’ve covered some awesome points here.
I see so many people taking bursts of action and then putting their goals aside again until the next burst. Consistently taking one step every day can’t not move you forward. All the affirmations in the world won’t get you closer to your dream if they are not coupled with intention and action.
One of my hurdles has been taking the action, then deciding it’s not perfect and needs to be redone! I’ve had to learn that the action itself was more important than getting it right.
Michaelé
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11. August 2010 at 7:15 PM
Hi Jose,
Loved your post. Sometimes it seems so unfortunate that we live in a day and age when people expect great things to happen in their lives virtually over night.
For those of us who are married, do we remember what the process was like when we first came to grips with and realized we now had someone in our lives we were accountable to; someone who would not let go of their expectations of us as easily as we sometimes do of ourselves?
Were immediate and 180 degree changes made in our lives; or did we learn to accommodate, respect and enjoy an ever deepening love of our better halves over time?
The same process of gradual change is usually at work when we find ourselves having to reinvent our lives. I’m reminded of a story of a woman. . .
She was in awe of beautiful gardens (think Butchart Gardens in Victoria, BC Canada, The Royal Botanic Garden of Melbourne, Australia, the Botanic Garden of Washington, DC, Central Park in New York City or scores of others around the world!). She desperately wanted a vast garden of her own, but had never even grown a plant.
Fear of failure was overcome by her desire to have that garden. She started with one hard to kill plant, then another. During the first year she learned a great deal about preparing the soil, how to provide just enough water to the plant so it thrived — without being over watered, proper fertilization techniques and where to plant various species so they had just the right amount of sunshine.
By the end of the first year, much to her surprise, the flowers and shrubs she planted during the first year’s growing season had spread beyond their original borders. She felt emboldened.
As the new growing season approached, she decided to go beyond her comfort zone, and attempt to work with flowers and plants that were more difficult to grow. She had her challenges, but by the end of year two, she had a number of beautiful varieties that were doing quite well.
So she continued, from one year to the next; enjoying the natural expansion of what she had put in the ground years before (and the pruning and trimming that goes with it), as well as planting ever more exotic fauna each ensuing year.
Twenty years later, her garden spanned many, many beautiful acres, included hundreds of different varieties of flowers, plants and trees. In all, she had over 25,000 individual plants!
We can have the garden of our dreams too!
All we have to do is as you, Val, Mary Lou, Donna, Kara and Michaele suggest, and work on it consistently — day in and year out.
Thanks for your inspirational thoughts. Looking forward to the next installment.
Hose B
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