Archive | Preparing RSS feed for this section

Dream Dream Dream

8 Jul

We all have dreams of things we want to do, places we want to see, and goals we want to accomplish. Sometimes they are big dreams, like opening our own business, and sometimes they are small, like riding on a train. We’re all different, and so are our dreams. Big or small, if we haven’t realized them yet, we think about them from time to time. They wait for us to remember them, and make them come true.

The realities of our lives don’t always allow us to realize our dreams when we want to. Sometimes we don’t have the finances we need, sometimes we aren’t in the right place, and sometimes, we’re just too busy. Life can get complicated and crazy, and we can be overcome with work, family responsibilities, or projects we’re doing. Time gets away from us. We can get so caught up in what we need to do, and what has to be done, that we may forget about the dreams we have outside of the chaos. But then we take a break, we sit down and let our minds drift, and there they are – those things we always said we would do. Those things we really want to do. They’re still there, waiting patiently for us to revisit them. Waiting for us to start.

When we’re ready, we can make a plan to achieve whatever we’ve been dreaming of. We can choose what we really want to do first, and start taking steps to make it to happen. Say we want to travel the world. Instead of having the undefined idea of “the world,” we could begin by picking the first place we would like to visit. Then we could figure out what it would take to get there in resources, and time. And then we could set a date to go. Once we have a plan in place, we can make adjustments if needed, but if we stick to it, we will accomplish our goal, and make that dream a reality.

Dreaming is great. We wonder about things, we imagine how they will go, and it’s exciting to think about them. But at some point we have to decide if we really want to do them or not. If we’ve changed, and really don’t care about a dream we’ve had, we can let it go. But if we really still want it, and it won’t go away, there is no better time than now to begin planning for it.

Today if you’re thinking about something you’ve always wanted to do, take the first step toward making it happen. Do something – research the parameters, make some calls, get information, and begin moving forward. You deserve to have all your dreams come true. But life won’t give them to you. Only you can make them happen. Start now. Set the date. Get ready, and before you know it, you’ll be there. They say that when we’re dying it’s not the things we’ve done that we regret, but the things we didn’t do. Let’s do everything we want to do instead of just dream about them. It’s great to dream. But living the dream is even better. Let’s live all the dreams we can. Today is the best time to start.

Tags: , ,

What’s luck got to do with it?

20 Apr

A previous boss I had was always giving me big projects to work on. They were in essence HIS projects, but he preferred delegating them to me instead of doing them himself. My office was right next to his and when his boss would come to see him, and I overheard him getting a new assignment, I knew that shortly thereafter that assignment was going to be mine. Since it was my boss directing me to complete the project, whatever it was, there was no way to decline. When he invariably called me into his office to assign me something new, I would sit and listen carefully, take the necessary notes, and then tell him, “I’ll take care of it.” As I would rise to leave, he would almost always say, “Good luck,” at which time I would respond, “Luck is not a factor.”

What is luck? For many of us it’s something we hope for despite the fact that it isn’t real. There is no magical way for things to work out, there is no mythical realm that will intercede. This is not a fairy tale. This is real life. The true definition of luck is when opportunity and preparedness meet. Again – The true definition of luck is when opportunity and preparedness meet. If we are prepared and an opportunity presents itself, we may take full advantage of the situation and find success. Some will say we were lucky, and in essence, given the true definition of luck, we were, but not like they think. We were ready. We were prepared for the opportunity when it arrived and so were successful. When I worked on the endless projects assigned to me by my boss, I prepared, I planned, I got ready, and when the time came to present my final product, everything often went well. I wasn’t lucky in some magical way. I was lucky because I prepared and was ready to succeed.

There are times in our lives when we want very much for something to change. We want very much for something to happen. We might think, “I wish I were lucky enough to get that.” But wishing for a lucky break is a waste of time. If you want to really be lucky, make a plan to get the thing you are wishing for, and prepare a way to accomplish your plan. Move forward step by step and in time, you will get what you want. There are few things in life we can’t achieve if we want them badly enough. True luck is when you put your mind to work, put your plan into action, and persevere until you succeed.

Very successful people generally aren’t just ‘lucky.’ Generally they have worked very hard to achieve their goals. It’s easy to see them at the end of the journey with their success shining all over them, and envy them, neglecting to see all the sweat, tears, disappointments, changes in course, and adjustments they most certainly went through to get where they are. They wanted the success enough to make it happen. Does that make them lucky?   If you believe that luck is when opportunity and preparedness meet – then yes, they are lucky.

Today, think about what you have been wishing for. Don’t wait for fairy dust, or a magical spell to bring it to you. Make a plan, start working it, and go after it. Make your own luck by preparing for what you want so when it arrives you are ready to grab it. It’s waiting for you. It has your name on it. Go get it!

Tags: ,

Newer Entries →