|
DREAM THE DREAM : Goal Setting
"If you can dream it, you can do it" - Albert Einstein
That quote by Einstein has always been the Life Management motto since it’s inception in 1992; although I sometimes think it a little inaccurate. Perhaps it should read “If you don’t dream it, you can’t do it!” meaning that any project has to begin with an idea or a concept, an act of creation if you like – a dream.
Dreaming is can be creative process especially under its other guises such as: visualising, conceptualising, fantasising etc.
The Chinese philosopher, Lao-Tzu said: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” dreaming is often the first step towards achieving great things. Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clark are both science fiction writers, but much past fiction has become science fact, (which is why they are both retained as consultants to NASA and the American space program). If someone hadn’t ‘dreamt them up’ first, some of the worlds greatest ‘discoveries’ might never have been invented.
Thomas Edison dreamt of an electric powered light bulb in a world only lit by candles or gas, and then he set about inventing one. Jules Verne imagined submarines before they existed and Greek mythology imagined poor Icarus falling to earth after his ill-fated maiden flight, thousands of years before man truly achieved flight and flying machines. Leonardo da Vinci made the first real studies of flight in the 1480's. He made numerous detailed drawings and notes and even gave it a name of The Ornithopter. While it was never realised in his time, it was a design that da Vinci created to show how man could fly. Today’s modern day helicopter is based on his dream. Without the dream of travelling and exploring space, man would never of achieved the means to actually do it! Richard Branson is preparing to fulfil his dream of pioneering daily flights space, the first is expected in 2008. How’s that for a dream?
The first trader I worked with in 1994 now owns an international trading business with offices all over the world. He credits part of his success to work we did together way back when he was first beginning to dream his dreams of becoming a trader on the floor of the London Stock Exchange. He reckons that it was through the process of clarifying what he really wanted, that he was able to achieve it, and so become truly successful.
Do you remember the last time you allowed yourself to daydream/fantasise?
Do you remember what that was like?
Take a moment to recall your last daydream/fantasy.
Imagine the perfect lifestyle for you. What would it be like?
Be careful with this step because too many people start to dream/fantasise and immediately allow criticism to step in before they have a chance to really get started, or because when they fantasise about what they want they tell themselves they couldn't possibly have that fantasy come true: "people like me just don't live like that!"
‘Daydreaming’ can be a constructive and creative mental process, but nothing kills the creative process quicker than criticism or negative thinking: all those reasons “why not to…?”
Daydreaming/fantasising is a fundamental part of goal setting. Goals are essential to the process of achievement and success because a) you need something to aim for, and b) dreams reveal the things that are important to
us, the things that motivate us. Here is a three part structure to get you started on setting your own goals – Dreaming the Dream, Realising the Dream, and Evaluating the dream:
Dreaming the Dream
This first part of the process creates the “What?” – Think:
“What do I want to create, or achieve?"
"What goals do I choose for myself?"
Allow yourself to spend some time on this. You need to dream your dream in
quite a lot of detail; the more information you have the clearer you are
likely to be, and the more likely you will be to discover the goals which are
right for you.
Your goals may be life goals: Where do I want to live? What material things do I want in my life? What kind of lifestyle do I want to live? How do I want to spend my leisure time? What kinds of relationship do I want in my life? Who are the people I want to spend time with? And so on.
They may be career goals: What kind of work do I want to do? Do I want to work in this/that type of market? What kind of working environment suits me best? What type of office best meets my needs? Is income more important than job satisfaction? What would have to happen to achieve both? Where do I eventually see myself? Running my own business, or doing something entirely different?
Your financial goals should form part of both of these: Most traders choose to trade because of the lifestyle it affords them, and although money is usually a means to an end, you need to know how much?
How much money (specifically) would I like/do I need to earn? Do I want to earn my money from one source or a variety of sources? How much money do I need on deposit to feel secure?
Note: at this stage, there is no reality check on your fantasy. DO NOT allow yourself at all to think about what is possible or not possible, go instead for pure daydreaming. Ask yourself:"If I had a fairy Godmother, and she could grant me anything my heart desired, what would I wish for?"
Realising the Dream
You might like to write all these desires down. If you can, put them under separate headings: life goals; career goals; financial goals; other.
When you have specified all your desires (and it may take you two or three goes to make sure you have set down everything you can think of, and you have set them out in detail, you can go on to work out "How?" you are going to achieve them. This is the planning stage:
"HOW am I going to achieve my dream?"
You may need to break larger goals into more manageable stages: Consider
“What stages or steps do I need to take?”
“What ‘intermediate goals’ would I have to achieve to realise my dream?”
These may be personal development steps: more training/education; they may involve a move (of office, of department, of trading environment); it may involve discussing you next steps with someone who can help to achieve them:a life coach, friends, loved ones, work colleagues or someone else whose opinion you value; it may involve looking for other career paths or stepping out on your own account, possibly starting your own office.
“What timeframes are appropriate?”
Try sorting your goals in order of time:
List 3 month goals, 6 month goals, 3-5 years and longer than 3-5 years (where do you want to be in, say, 15 - 20 years?) in separate headed columns.
Now separate out each goal with its allotted timeframe under “Life Goals” and “Career Goals”. You now have a plan!
Evaluating the Dream
The last phase will be to constructively evaluate the dream and the plan for achieving it. As I have already said, criticism kills the dream dead in its tracks, so I prefer to think of the final stage as an analytical stage, where you hone your dream to work out what is achievable and manageable. This must be the final stage in the process. Don't use it to undermine the work you have already done to describe your desires. Your aim is to render those desires achievable in the best way you know how, not to crush them.
Start to consider the questions:
”What could go wrong?"
"What haven't I thought of yet?
“What have I missed?”
"What else needs to happen?"
"How will this goal/plan affect my life/others lives"
"Is there a negative effect?"
"What will the cost be, and am I prepared to pay it?"
If you consider something to be unreasonable (either a goal or the time you have set down to achieve it) go back and consider what you need to change about your dream in order to best achieve it.
Pleasant dreams and good luck achieving them!
© Jeff Turner
