Do you know someone who is always talking about their goals and dreams but never does anything about them? Do you know someone who regularly talks about their brilliant plans and ideas yet fails to take action?
Perhaps that someone is you?
The problem is that many of us fail to take action on our goals and dreams because we don’t ever feel ready to take action.
A brilliant idea is simply that at first, an idea. The idea alone has little value unless it is acted upon. It can be tempting to stay in the stage where we are dreaming about our big dream and how successful or happy we will be.
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Here are some thoughts to consider if you feel you are not ready to take action.
Work out what you want
What do you really want? Not what you tell people you want but what you really want.
Let’s use starting a business as an example here. People who are dreaming of self-employment might jump from one big idea to another. One day they will be planning on designing a clothing line, the next month starting a finance business, the next getting involved in property development.
While working through your options is fine, eventually you will need to make a decision. You need to work out what you want and pick one.
If you end up choosing something you don’t really want to do, you will be less inclined to do the hard work required over the long haul.
Another thing we often do is make our decision based on what someone else wants. For instance, you may be planning on doing a particular university degree because it’s what your parents want you to do.
Make sure your goals and dreams are based on what you really want and not on what someone else wants for you.
If you are ready to focus on your goals, it helps to take a close look at your habits. An excellent book on habits is Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones by James Clear. This bestseller has sold over 25 million copies and has no doubt helped a lot of people.
Don’t kid yourself or others
Deep down, we know there are some things that we just don’t want to do.
Some smokers constantly say they are going to give up. The fact is, many have no intention of giving up because they love to smoke.
Maybe they are saying what other people want to hear. Perhaps they realize smoking is bad for their health and know they should quit, but again, don’t actually want to. Maybe they need help to quit, but are not ready to take that first step.
Don’t go around telling people you are going to do something you never actually intend to do. All this will do is damage your credibility. By all means, talk through your plans and dreams with friends, family, coaches, and mentors, but don’t continue to kid yourself about what you are actually willing to follow through on.
Related post – How to be Congruent and Why It’s So Important
You want to be the boss bee, not the worker bee
Perhaps you plan to start a business. You want to be the one giving out the orders to your loyal, hardworking staff. Or you want to be the one at the top of the corporate ladder.
Depending on your type of business and financial situation, that may all be a little way off. You don’t normally become the CEO overnight.
In the meantime, you will be required to do lots of work yourself. You will probably have a boss you need to answer to. Be prepared for hard work. If this prospect is off-putting, you probably need to ask yourself how prepared you are to make your goal come to life.
Related post – What Sacrifices Are You Willing to Make?
Drop the excuses
Maybe you are thinking, I will start my business when I have a backer with lots of money or I will go overseas when I can find a partner to go with. In both instances, the keyword is when. When this happens, when that happens.
Perhaps your business idea does need large amounts of capital to get started, or having a business partner is the best approach to dealing with your business model. If this is the case, then seek these people out. Look into raising the money and loan options.
If you don’t want to travel on your dream trip by yourself, start looking for people to travel with. You may find a friend willing to travel with you or decide to join a tour group for part of your trip. You may even connect with other singles online who have the same dream as you.
If all you do is hope the perfect opportunity/money/partner will simply fall into your lap, you could be waiting a long time.
You have to be the one who takes action and decides not to wait until everything feels perfect. Perfectionism, just like procrastination, will kill your dreams.
Do your research
Perhaps you want to start a professional business website? You are already an expert in your field and have a niche market. However, you know nothing about running a website. You need to take the time to research your future business. Whilst you would be able to pay someone to set up the website for you, you still need to know about the complexities of how a website works.
The same could be said for buying a house, moving to the country, or planning an extended time overseas. All of these goals will benefit from you doing your research before taking the plunge.
No matter what your goal is, it helps to do some targeted research on the topic.
Don’t get caught up in the big picture
Your big goal or dream may require a lot of work. If you are starting your own business, for instance, it will most likely require a LOT more work than you could have ever imagined.
Visualizing the big picture can be helpful. However, if the big picture and all of the work it will take to get there is too overwhelming or intimidating, it may put you off starting altogether.
Perhaps the big picture is all you see, and it’s stopping you from starting at all.
When your big picture seems overwhelming, reach out to a coach, mentor, or a trusted friend with experience with what you want to achieve. They can assist you in breaking down your plan into workable pieces. Don’t let your big picture stop you from taking action.
Related post – What’s Age Got To Do With Following Your Dreams?
Take the first step
It seems an obvious statement, but start by taking one small step or one large one if that suits your fancy.
It is easy to become overwhelmed by the sheer amount of work involved in taking action on your big goal, particularly if it involves stepping completely out of your comfort zone.
Take the next step and the one after that
Whilst the first step is vital, truth be told, it is not enough.
One dress pattern is not a clothing label. Downloading a travel book won’t get you on your grand European adventure. You need to keep the wheels in motion. Set due dates for actions and stick like glue to your deadlines.
Continue to take consistent, focused action and work towards your goals and dreams.
Are you ready? Damn, right you are! Let’s get started. What’s going to be your next step forward?
Don’t forget to grab your copy of Atomic Habits to help you develop habits that will move your life forward.
Read Next – What Stops Us From Pursuing Our Dreams?