The Fourth and final part of this 4 part series entitled “Be a Dream Chaser” requires lots of discipline. We’ve covered Charting a Course, Building a Team, Expect Delays, Disappointments and Setbacks and today we’ll conclude with “Stay Focused.”
Just as life has a way of throwing you curve balls unexpectedly, it also has a way of providing many distractions. Distractions come in numerous forms; it could be a new relationship, family or friends needing assistance, a new interest or a hobby. I can tell you, that distractions sometimes magically appear when you are well on the way to achieving your dreams.
While life is about balance (I’m an advocate of work hard, play hard), balance never really occurs, that’s why planning is so important. Use your calendar to plan work time, play time, family time and every other important time. This will help you stay focused on the important things in your life.
Here are 4 tips to help you stay focused on achieving your dreams.
- Intentional Planning & Intentional Action
Every day determine what you will focus on to push you in the direction of achieving your dreams. Since you’ve charted your course, you know the steps required to achieve your goals. Each day plan out how you will maximum your time, talents as well as the skills and talents of your team members. Every single day, focus yourself and your team on goals that will take you in the direction of achieving your dreams.
- Create a Vision Board
On your vision board create reminders about who you are, what your goals are, what you intend to achieve and how you will impact the world. Put your vision board somewhere you will see it multiple times a day. I have two (2) vision boards erected in my bedroom. The backdrop on one is a burnt orange and so it’s a focal point of the room. Every single time I enter my bedroom, my eyes look straight at that vision board. It provides multiple reminders of what my dreams are and how I intended to impact the world. The second vision board is a white board that lists the goals I need to achieve with the timelines to accomplish them. This board faces my bed. Each night as I retire and each morning I wake, I look up and read those goals. They inspire me just as much as the vision pulls me and provides me with renewed focus daily.
- Daily Reflections
At the end of every day, take the opportunity for at least half an hour to reflect on the activities of the day. Determine what your successes were that day and what opportunities there are for improvement. If you didn’t achieve your tasks for the day, reflect on the reason and find solutions to ensure you are able to the next day.
- Continue Growing
To achieve you dreams, your MUST continue to develop yourself. Technology, policies, systems, customer demands and the like are constantly changing and so must you. Do not become set in your ways and inflexible. Stay alert to what’s happening around you and set aside some time on your calendar to focus on growing.
Staying focused requires discipline. It requires intentional action, determination and sacrifice. To be a dream chaser, you must be willing to chart your course, build your team, brace and rebound from difficulties and stay focused on the dream. If living your purpose means that you will impact the world around you in a positive way or if it means you will be a world changer, you must make acknowledge that a certain responsibility comes with that. Do not be faint at heart. It’s a common saying that “To whom much is given much is required.” Expect that you will need to plan, sacrifice, recover, refocus and be flexible enough to do just that.
Tip of the week comes from Kyrie Irving – “Work hard, stay focused and understand that nothing worth achieving comes easy.” Don’t give up on you. Be a dream chaser but more importantly BE A DREAM ACHIEVER. MAKE YOUR IMPACT ON THE WORLD.
Really loved this blog. Found it most practical, insightful, helpful and timely. I especially like the idea of the vision board and also how you demonstrated that chasing your dreams must be done by actions both in planning and in review. You have caused me to refocus my life from this day.
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