Dream Big - Set Goals

"You cannot always wait for the perfect time. Sometimes you must dare to jump."

In high school, I was a proud member of the Poteet Pirate Band. State Champions. But we weren't handed that title. We had to earn it. My band director always challenged us to beat one adversary above all others: Poteet High School. If we could beat our own record, our own previous best, then we would truly succeed.

Before we marched at the state competition, we had to advance through several other competitions. Second best wouldn't cut it. We had to do our best at each successive competition. We won state that year by tackling one goal at a time.

No dream is achieved over night. The past few weeks, I've explored the path to making a dream a reality:

1. Identify your inspiration
2. Believe in yourself.
3. Build a team to encourage and challenge you in your pursuit.
4. Set a succession of goals.

Currently, I am working toward publishing my first book. I used to think it would be an easy process. Boy, was I WRONG. I've realized there are a series of steps I have to take before I will get from unpublished manuscript to finished masterpiece. So, I've set goals for myself to hopefully get from A to B:

Write daily.
Read a variety of books from classics to contemporaries in my genre.
Establish a network of others in my field.
Seek advise and direction from those already established.
Commit this path daily to the Lord.
Polish, polish, polish.

All these goals are within my power to accomplish. They not only get me from A to B but help me improve for the next book and the next. When I focus on a published book, I lose sight of the steps I need to take to get there. When I look at all of the goals at once, I grow overwhelmed. When I focus on what I can do today to be better, I take another step closer toward my dreams.

I can't control the end result, but I can do everything in my power to be prepared when that final step is presented. There is never a perfect time to change your life. Sometimes you must dare to jump. What daily goals can you set to place you one step closer to your dreams? What patterns need to be established? Start today!