Ever had a dream that was burning on the inside of you? You are passionate about it - it drives you, it fuels you.
Ready to start it? Now? It’s exciting to start pursuing it immediately - right? After all, we need to Carpe Diem… Seize the day!
Having a dream and a mandate to start it is a wonderful thing. It's healthy, exhilarating. And to not start pursuing your dream feels frustrating. Not to drop what you are doing now to take steps today on your dream almost feels like procrastination. And, procrastination is a bad thing, right?
Sometimes, when thinking of how we approach our dream, we need to first take a step back.
That’s not procrastination, that’s reflection.
Successful people understand timing and preparation. Successful people know that in order for their dream to be realized, the first order of things is to focus on the front end of the dream-launch. Most of us like the “GO” part of launching into the pursuit of our dream. However, a successful launch requires a
“READY, SET, GO!"
Relay racers put A LOT of focus on the “READY ,SET, GO” in the start of their race. They don’t just stand casually at the starting line and then suddenly start running. They have a strict regimen of preparation hours before the start of the race. They get their mind in the right place. They warm up their body and stretch. When the race is minutes from starting, they get even more focused and place their feet in the starting blocks. Finally, with their body in the optimal launching position, they fix their eyes forward, looking down the lane they will jet into.
Now, they...
WAIT... QUIET... FOCUSED... NO MOVEMENT...
Every muscle is ready to ignite once they hear the pop of the gun go off. For weeks, months, they have practiced this race - they have trained and conditioned their bodies. They have watched the tape of their previous races to look for areas of improvement. They have studied the best runners learning better technique. All of this forethought and preparation has led them to this moment….
...to WAIT...
This is a powerful mindset for us as we consider our dream, our calling. Our tendency is to get started, to start running. However, your dream, your calling deserves more preparation, it deserves more training.
Ask yourself these questions:
What are you doing today to prepare for your dream?
Tell me your weekly rhythm of conditioning, of learning, of improving?
How much time do you block each week to dedicating to your dream?
The reason that “READY, SET, GO” is an essential sequence for your dream and calling is that you want to be able to last. You will need to endure. It is exciting and relatively easy to start something. Seeing it through is quite more arduous. It’s at the 50% mark that we lose steam, where we get discouraged and quit. But winners don’t quit. Here is the secret to not quiting… learn, train, prepare, set your mind right, count the cost. That is the secret to winning, not just having a strong will.
If you have a dream and a calling, great! That is a gift from God. He put that in you, not to frustrate you, but to help you fulfill it! However, you have to do your part. Successful people are dedicated to the preparation process.
Winning people are patient people - they measure, they learn, and they train themselves.
When approaching your dream and your calling, use the mindset of:
READY … SET … GO!
