We’ve reached the penultimate entry in the series exploring my rules. This post fits in nicely with the previous post about taking chances. Today’s post is about what I do before that: Dream big.
I’ve always dreamt and thought big, but that’s gone to another level since I read The Magic of Thinking Big last year. That book, along with several others I’ve read, talks about how most of the limits to what we can do are self-imposed. Once we’ve decided something is impossible, we can only see ways that trying it would end in failure. However, if we then truly consider that it’s possible to do that particular thing, our minds begin to work on finding ways to do it. Sometimes it takes a lot of consistent practice or work before that thing manifests, but nobody will put in the necessary work if they don’t truly think it will succeed.
There are many situations that I don’t know how to navigate at the outset. This could be when I have a lot of tasks to do at work, when I’m learning something new, or when I’m planning a trip to a place I’ve never been. What helps me in each of those situations is taking a moment to remind myself that I can accomplish whatever I’m trying to do and then simply getting started where I can. At work, that can look like starting with the easiest task or the most urgent one. With planning a trip, that often means starting by thinking about the end and working backwards in my mind, planning for each activity I have in mind and being prepared for possible problems that might arise along the way. Once I’ve been going for a bit, I get into a good flow and, before I know it, I’ve finished what looked like a difficult or even impossible task.
If I try something small and fail, I’ll have almost nothing to show for it. On the other hand, if I fail while trying something big, I’ll have learned a lot of useful things in the process and may even succeed at accomplishing something else instead, such as a smaller version of what I had in mind or a certain part of it. I’d much rather dream of doing something big and find out through experience that it won’t work than think it won’t work and never try it. Some of the best experiences in my life have come from dreaming big and believing things will work out against all odds and expectations from others. I normally don’t rub it in someone’s face when they’ve been wrong about my ability to do something and I don’t expect them to own up to it either. I’m more interested in doing things I find valuable than I am in showing people up, proving them wrong, or getting back at them. This approach has also inspired some people I know to dream big and pursue their dreams, which is exciting and encouraging to watch. That’s why I love writing about my ideas and experiences and sharing them with others. In closing, if you haven’t read The Magic of Thinking Big, I highly recommend you do. It’s helped me move to the next level and I’m sure it will do the same for you. Dream big, my friends.