I’ve had people ask how it was possible for me to purchase my first home at the age of 24 (almost 25). They assume I worked hard, long hours and saved every penny I made. They aren’t wrong, but I think plenty of people work just as hard as I do and still aren’t successful. I believe that success is more than just hard work and drive. I believe it’s about knowing exactly what you want.
If there is one thing I do well, it is dream. I love thinking about what I want and how to get there. I was able to figure out when I was young exactly what I wanted and start working towards it. Where I believe many people go wrong though is that they want a little bit of everything. They want a family and children and a white picket fence and a house and a job and… and… and. So they spread themselves thin and work towards 8 different really big goals all at once. This takes more time for them to reach any single goal, and can at times result in their goals working against each other.
Instead, I have selected one single goal. My Dream. Every goal in my life that I set beyond my one final Dream has to be in support of ultimately reaching that Dream. So if my Dream is to own a house, I can only buy a car if that helps me get a better job and make more money. And I don’t buy a new car every few years because that is not in support of my Dream.
I think of goal setting as a ripple. The very center is my Dream. Then there are the big goals around it, usually very long term goals that are going to take awhile to achieve. These are the ones that are the hardest to work at and often need other little goals to support them. So the next ring out are the goals that support the bigger goals. This ripple goes out until all goals are realistically attainable. The ring on the very outside is the little stuff you want to do that doesn’t work towards your Dream.
So how do you decide on your Dream? Really, it can be anything you want it to be from having 100 friends to owning your own business to owning a house. I highly suggest taking a few days, by yourself, to sit and think it over. I recently suggested to a friend that they rent a hotel room for the weekend to get away from all the noise in their life and determine exactly what their Dream was.
Once you know what your Dream is, you create supporting goals around it to ensure it is reached. Not every goal ever set has to be towards reaching your Dream, but no goals can work against the Dream.
An example:
My Dream is to not have to work every day until the day I die.
My first ring of goals are all items that immediately support the Dream and all primarily have to do with saving money because money is the foundation of my Dream.
- Invest in retirement savings
- Purchase land and build permanent home and pay off mortgage
- Grow a garden
- Install solar panels
- Publish a book
My second ring of goals help support the other goals directly.
- Decide where I want to purchase land
- Take a class in gardening
- Price out cost of solar panels
- Send book to editor
My third ring of goals is the one that isn’t really affecting my Dream, but are still goals that I have.
- Learn French
- Work out 3 times per week
- Draw up design for next cosplay
Ultimately, the idea is that the majority of your energy should be driving you towards your Dream. All other goals and desires take second place. It was using this focused energy that I was able to buy my first home early in my life. If I can do it, so can you.
Still having trouble obtaining what you dream of? Contact me for Life Coaching Services at FreedomInsidetheBox@gmail.com
