Dreams can be daunting. They seem so far off, or even unachievable. When I compare my life today to the ideal I wish I was experiencing, it’s easy to get depressed.
Plans, on the other hand, are actionable, achievable and exciting. We know how they will be executed, how many steps are required and when it will all take place.
The difference between a dream and a plan is knowing what to do next.
The good news is, all you need is to turn your dreams into plans is a Time Traveling Staircase. You don’t need a flux capacitor or a DeLorean, just a good notebook, a quiet place and some time to think. Construct your Time Traveling Staircase with these three steps.
1. Articulate the dream.
In your notebook, write out your dream. Have a specific picture in your mind for what it will look like when you get there. Try to say it in one sentence. This is the top of your stair case.
If your dream is to make a living breeding world class Chow-Chows, then write at your top stair “Make 1,000,000 a year breeding and selling Chow-Chow puppies.”
Fluffy
2. Take steps backwards from the future.
Directly to the left of your top stair will be the second to last step you need to accomplish to achieve your dream. Write it out, and also write the amount of time you think it will take to accomplish this.
Time Travel back to the present by writing out every step of your staircase. Make them concrete and achievable. You can never have too many steps. Your list might include “become a licensed breeder” and “Find Fluffy a Boyfriend”.
Fluffy on a date.
3. Take the first step.
Now you know what you have to do. Your dream has become a plan! Because you’ve written simple, concrete steps you know exactly what to do first.
It may be as simple as “get advice from another breeder” or “go to the library to find a book about Chow-Chows.” No step is too simple or too small. They all take you closer to completing your plan.
Fluffy’s first puppy, Aslan
What dream do you want to turn into a plan?
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