Yes!
It’s time for you to boldly follow your dream – you know the one, it might be a grand idea that has been in your heart for years, it might be that essential project that has been on your mind for months.
You have the dream and now it’s time to follow it and make it happen.
Want to know the surprising secret to following your dreams boldly in a huge way?
Small steps.
Small steps taken every day is the path to making your dreams come true.
Here are 3 tips you can use to make sure your BIG dreams come true taking SMALL steps every day.
1. Start at the end. When you know your goal, when you know what you want to achieve, take a look at the steps you need to take starting from the end (reaching your goal) and working backwards to the the very first action that needs to happen right now. This is called Reverse Engineering and the most successful people have been using this method for many years.
2. Schedule it! Now take a look at those steps and put them on a realistic schedule taking small steps every day towards your goal. If your next step is on your schedule, you have a much greater chance of accomplishing it. As Marie Forleo says, “If it isn’t on the schedule, it doesn’t exist.” Get it on the schedule = Get it done!
3. Plan to change the plan. Be clear about your goal, be prepared to do the hard daily consistent work in small steps…AND give yourself the flexibility to adjust as needed.
Put this into action and watch your dreams unfold into reality.
My dream was to become a black belt. To be honest, it wasn’t even a dream because I never thought I could do it. The spark was in me but it was so hidden I didn’t even give myself permission to have the dream until later in my life.
But that tiny spark was enough to get me to an Aikido dojo I loved. I began training 2 mornings a week. At first I couldn’t remember the moves or the Japanese names of the techniques. But I loved the training and I stayed with it. Week after week, month after month, year after year.
My training days went from two days a week to three, then to four times. Sometimes I would go to morning classes and then come back for the evening classes.
Then one day, I knew.
I knew my dream of getting the rank of black belt was possible. It still took plenty of time and lots more training. Commitment and discipline. But always always, one small step at a time I moved towards that dream.
Yes, I got my black belt! And even a second one a few years later.
In a way, although it was hard work, it was easy as well – one step at a time
This is a great reminder for me. The past 3 weeks at BSchool has driven me to overwhelm where I literally had stopped doing anything at all, including dreaming. Its like I have lost zest in dreaming BIG in a snap.
This post just reminded me of my dream and my mission and somehow kick out *some of the negativities I had. Most of it is fear of failure. Guess its time to start *Doing and not just waiting.
Thanks for this Kathleen
yes – it is a great reminder how we can get overwhelmed and come to a halt.
Small bits at a time are a manageable way to keep at in the long run. 🙂
Hey Kathleen! Great post!
One of my biggest dreams that came true was running the Long Beach Half Marathon! I trained for months and actually finished faster than I expected! It really took consistently small steps to achieve that! That was two years ago, and I often think about that journey as I embark on others. And, I absolutely love that you’ve acknowledged that sometimes our plans change — and we have to be flexible! Great reminder!
Wow Jennifer – I’m totally impressed by your half-marathon! (Now that’s one step at a time)
It’s great when we have an accomplishment to use as a reminder and inspiration when we go after a new goal.