Work on your dreams, too…

June 5, 2023

It’s a Monday. Time to get back to work. Today’s graphic reminds us that we need to “work on” our dreams, too.

Dreams don’t become reality without putting in the work necessary to achieve them. Too often we let dreams become illusive because we never put the work in to achieve them. They remain out there, just beyond our grasp because we believe it would be too hard or take too long to actually achieve them.

Don’t let yourself get caught in that mental trap. If you have a dream that you really want to achieve, you need to treat it like anything else that you need to get done – with planning, commitment, patience and perseverance.

As you prepare for the week ahead at your job, also plan for what steps you might be able to take this week to achieve your dream. They may be little steps or steps that are just enablers to achieving your dream, but they are steps forward, steps towards realizing the dream. If you don’t include them in your plans for how you will spend your time this week, you will look back on Friday and realize that you didn’t make any progress towards that dream. If you do plan the time and then actually do the things that you plan to do, you can look back and celebrate another step towards the dream.

The funny thing is that the time that you spend working on your dream won’t feel like work. Instead, it will feel like accomplishment. Even if you are many steps away from your end goal, you can take pride in having accomplished a few more steps forward this week.

So, get to work making a living, but also get to work on achieving your dreams.

 Have a great week ahead.


Declare Dream Bankruptcy and move on…

May 22, 2023

This morning I happened upon an article written by Casey Rosengren titled “Why You Should Give UP On Your Dreams”. Since I have written so often about pursuing your dreams, I found this to be a compelling headline for an article that I just had to read. I’m glad that I did.

I have known people (and experienced first-hand) who wasted too much time in their lives pursuing impossible or unrealistic dreams. They are often very frustrated people and usually somewhat down on themselves or those around them whom they may think are holding them back from achieving their dream. The reality, as this article points out, is that they were obsessed and pursuing an impossible dream. Have you ever known people like that?

It is important every now and then to pause, look up from the grind that one has been dedicating themselves to in pursuit of a dream, and asked the question, “Is this dream realistic or is it even achievable?” That question is easy to ask, but sometimes difficult to answer. We hate to give up on a dream; however, the pursuit of unrealistic dreams can consume the dreamer to the detriment of the rest of their normal life. Better to declare what Rosengren labeled “dream bankruptcy”, let go of the failed dream and get on with life.

I’m sure that club pro Michael Block, who competed in the PGA major golf tournament this last weekend, at one time had the dream of playing on the PGA Tour. I imagine that every club pro started out with that dream; however, for every PGA Tour player there are a thousand club pros for whom that dream did not come true. Some, like Block, may get an occasional chance to play in a PGA event and a very few may even do well as Block did. Most club pros have come to grips with that reality and have become happy being able to make a living within the golf industry. They gave up one dream, but they are living another.

So, as you start a new week, perhaps it is time for you to look at your dreams with a critical eye. Has the pursuit of your dream become an obsession? Is your dream realistic? Are there some dreams that you need to let go of?  Are there adjustments to your dream that might make them more achievable? If you achieved your dream, what then?

Read Rosengren’s article and see how it might apply to your life. Maybe it’s time to declare dream bankruptcy for some of your dreams and move on in life.


Don’t cross the line…

May 17, 2023

There is a real danger lurking in the advice from today’s inspirational graphic.

It is all too easy to let your dreams become obsessions and take over your life. What can happen when that is the case is not pretty. Families get torn apart by the decisions that an obsessed dreamer makes. Time is devoted almost solely to the dream and family and friends are left behind.

It is OK to work hard to try to achieve your dream, but is should always be within the context of your broader life and not become your life. Don’t cross the line and let the achievement of your dreams become an obsession.

The other danger is the graphic is the word “hard”. Did you ever know anyone who lived by the mantra “work hard and play hard”? People who are some focused and intense at work and at “play” never really get the benefit of play and relaxation. One cannot work hard at all aspects of life without consequences – usually health issues.

So, I guess my thought would be that the advice in the inspirational graphic today is bogus. Having dreams and working to achieve them is a part of life but must be kept in that perspective – they must be just a part of your life, not that they become your life. Don’t cross the line and allow your dreams to become obsessions.


Don’t stop thinking; start doing…

May 16, 2023

Far too many people begin each week by imagining reasons why they can’t achieve their dreams – they make up excuses for not even trying.

Successful people begin their week by reassessing where they are and thinking about what the next steps may be to making progress towards their dream. They revisit their dream as a long-term goal and then dedicate themselves to the short-term tasks at hand which must be accomplished to make progress towards the dream.

At the end of the day or the week they look back and see progress being made. They are happy to have been able to accomplish whatever smaller tasks were needed to make progress towards the ultimate goal – the dream. Sometimes, just like when you take the wrong path through a maze; they must admit that they have been pursuing a dead-end path and must back up and start anew. It is in those times that the strength of your commitment to the dream is most important.

If you have a dream that you cannot stop thinking about, turn that dream into a goal and then spend some time thinking about the things that must be accomplished in order to achieve that big goal. Make those things the little goals that you can accomplish in a day or a week or a month and t out to achieve that little goal. Celebrate those little wins and keep moving forward.

Keep thinking about your dream and start doing…


Don’t go negative…

May 10, 2023

So, here we are at mid-week.

We started the week by suggesting that you give yourself a pep talk and rededicate yourself to achieving your goals. Maybe things haven’t gone the way you had hoped that they would, and you’ve suffered a setback. Resist the natural tendency to go negative and allow yourself to slide into the role of a victim.

That negative mindset of being a victim is a lure to trap you into a life of self-pity instead of the life that you envisioned. Resist that urge. Instead focus on how best to recover from this temporary setback. Ask yourself questions. What happened? What can you learn from the experience? What will you do differently next time you get to that point? If it helps, check in with God to make sure He is still there beside you on this journey. You can’t ask for a better co-pilot.

By focusing upon recovering, learning, and doing better next time you can remain in a positive frame of mind. You are continuing to make progress, no matter how small. You’ve got this!

The reason that you have got this is that you have stayed in control of yourself. You didn’t allow yourself to go negative and wallow in self-pity.

But wait.  There is more good news. You have two more workdays this week to make more progress towards your goals and a whole weekend ahead to relax and recharge.

Life is good!


Give yourself a pep talk…

May 8, 2023

OK, it’s Monday; not everyone’s favorite day. Hopefully you took the chance to relax, recuperate and reenergize over the weekend. Maybe you also had the chance to touch base with God at church on Sunday. Now it is time to rededicate. Bring your goals back into focus. Do whatever resetting you need to do in order to deal with any temporary setbacks and get moving forward again.

It is interesting that this graphic uses the words “together” and “we’. There’s some psychology at work there. Those words remind us that we are seldom alone in our pursuits. We always have God with us. We may also have co-workers or companions who may be helping or just rooting for us. Build on that strength and that thought that you are not alone.

Start the week planning for success. Break down big challenges into smaller, achievable steps. See the things that are standing in the way of your success as challenges that you will overcome.

Give yourself a pep talks and then imagine that like football players at the start of a college game, you are running through the tunnel and out onto the field – breaking through the banner at the start of the field. Hear in your mind the roar of the crowd. Everybody is rooting for you to win. So, get out there and rise to the challenge.


Stop and have a laugh…

May 3, 2023

I started this week with yet another “chase your dreams” post (see https://normsmilfordblog.com/2023/05/01/dont-stop-thinking-start-doing/). I think it is important to always be striving towards achieving your dreams. That does not mean that you need to become a “heads-down”, super-focused person who is unable to laugh.

I also believe that finding ways to laugh and be less serious about life will add years to your life.  As a society, Americans have become way too serious about everything – unable to find the humor in everyday life and unable to find forgiveness for others and acceptance of differences with others.

A sense of humor seems to be missing from our political scene these days. Instead of a chuckle and the thought, “where do they get these clowns?”, we have taken their bizarre behavior and ridiculous statements way too seriously. Perhaps it is because they seem to be having an outsized impact on political decisions that impact our daily lives. In any event, the fringe people on both sides of the political spectrum have become less humorous and much more threatening. Perhaps if you start imagining them again as the clowns that they are it might help. If you just stop and listen to some of their ridiculous statements, you can’t help but laugh. These are not serious people and you should not take them seriously.

So. What are we to do? You can start by taking my advice from past posts to make a funny face in the mirror to start your day. Taking that moment to break out of your serious mode can lighten your mood considerably. Being serious does not always mean being stern or angry looking. Instead of walking around looking like you are passing a kidney stone; try walking around looking like you just heard a good joke or just got good news. People will see your smile or hear your chuckle and want to engage you to find out why you are so happy.

It’s mid-week as I write this, so stop and have a good laugh to help you get through the rest of the week. Stop and take a look in the mirror. Make a funny face and have a laugh. Seriously, stop and have a good laugh.


Don’t stop thinking; start doing…

May 1, 2023

Start the week on a positive note. I’ve noticed that this is a recurring theme and tha’s a good thing.

Far too many people begin each week by imagining reasons why they can’t achieve their dreams – they make up excuses for not even trying.

Successful people begin their week by reassessing where they are and thinking about what the next steps may be to making progress towards their dream. They revisit their dream as a long-term goal and then dedicate themselves to the short-term tasks at hand which must be accomplished to make progress towards the dream.

At the end of the day or the week they look back and see progress being made. They are happy to have been able to accomplish whatever smaller tasks were needed to make progress towards the ultimate goal – the dream. Sometimes, just like when you take the wrong path through a maze; they must admit that they have been pursuing a dead-end path and must back up and start anew. It is in those times that the strength of your commitment to the dream is most important.

If you have a dream that you cannot stop thinking about, turn that dream into a goal and then spend some time thinking about the things that must be accomplished in order to achieve that big goal. Make those things the little goals that you can accomplish in a day or a week or a month and t out to achieve that little goal. Celebrate those little wins and keep moving forward.

Keep thinking about your dream and start doing…


Turning dreams into reality…

April 24, 2023

OK. It’s a Monday. You have the weekend behind you and the work week ahead of you. If you spent a part of the weekend dreaming about a better or different life; or maybe you just decided that something must change in your life; now is the time to turn those dreams into goals and those goals into plans.

Most people’s dreams are not small or insignificant things. They involved large, long-terms change. That may make them seem to be unachievable. The key to success in achieving your dreams is to break them down into smaller, more achievable steps and then commit to taking those steps and sticking with the process until you have achieved the whole dream.

For most just the process of writing things down will help. It provides them with a “To Do” list of things that they need to do and a check-off list that they can use to mark their progress. Writing thigs down will also help you see where you still have big chunks that need to be further broken up into achievable steps (goals).

Sometimes going through this process of breaking a big dream up into smaller steps and writing down the steps that you must go through to achieve that dream will cause you to rethink that dream and decide that it isn’t something that you want to put in the effort to achieve. That’s OK, too. Not all dreams should be taken past the wishful thinking phase anyway. What you’ve really done is to evaluate that the end result is not worth the effort that would be required.

Don’t stop dreaming. Just take the time to consider what would be required to turn you dream into an achievable plan. If it still seems like something that you want to do, then execute the plan. Dreaming is good. Planning how to achieve that dream is better. Successfully executing your plans is the best.

Dream on.


So, get started already…

April 19, 2023

My last few posts have been about change and achieving things in your life. They offered encouragement that success and even greatness is available to those who embrace change to achieve that greatness.

Today’s post may be looked at as step one on the road to greatness – getting started. Nothing kills or delays greatness more than procrastination. Procrastination is the mother of the lament – “coulda, woulda, shoulda”.

I would opine that just starting, no matter in which direction, will get you to where you want to end up. Getting started puts you in motion and allows Newton’s first law of physics to take over – a body in motion tends to stay in motion. That first law also states that the body in motion will travel in a straight line unless acted upon by an outside force. That force is the willingness to change. If you embrace change in your life those changes (forces) will alter the course of your life.

Embracing love will also change your life – love of self and love of others. Embracing love is not the opposite of embracing hate, it is the opposite of embracing apathy. I have posted here a few times about the importance of loving yourself before you can love others – see https://normsmilfordblog.com/2023/01/18/love-yourself-first/. Embracing love is a change from being apathetic and will set you on a new course to greatness.

Embracing a faith in (and love of) God is a change (a force) that most experience at some point in their lives. Many step back or away from their faith or lose track of it and that lack of the force of faith in their lives may dictate a direction in their life that does not end well. A life without faith is like sailing on a ship without a rudder – it will drift along in some direction, but it is not under control.

Maybe that is the key to getting started towards greatness – loving God, loving yourself and loving others. At least it gets you going and in a good direction. Try it today. Get started with love.