The Challenge – Making Sacrifices for Our Dreams

The Challenge:

There are only 24-hours in the day to take action towards our dreams.  In life, we have to balance the other important things including time with family, friends, careers with our personal goals and dreams.  Of course, we have to eat and sleep as well.  A question that often comes up is how do I find the time to achieve my dreams?  For this challenge, list the important things in your life and then prioritize them according to their importance to you.

This task is worth 50-points on your scorecards.

Thought Provoking Questions:

How many things did you list? Do you feel this is a realistic number for you to balance?

What were the top three priorities?  Can the others be eliminated or reduced?

The Lesson:

At some point we look at our lives and realize that we have a time capacity, and that capacity is 24-hours of everyday.  Everyone is playing by this same limitation, so why are some able to achieve more than others?  The answer lies in how some are able to focus on what they want and then make certain sacrifices to achieve their dreams.  It’s a tough choice, but you will have to identify things you are willing to give up to achieve your dreams.  This challenge is meant to help you begin the process of identifying your priorities, but the decision to cut things out of your life will be a deep and personal one.

Once you identify your priorities, you will need to decide how much time you want to devote to each priority.  Don’t forget about necessities like sleeping and eating.   Also, there will always be the unforeseen circumstances that pull you away from your dreams but that are important for you to be a part of.  Make sure you can accommodate these situations by creating a plan to catch-up on your top priorities when these situations arise.

“The important thing is this: to be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become” – Charles Dubois

Weekly Challenge – Confidence in a New Direction

The Challenge:

Now more than ever people are reevaluating what they want to achieve in their lives.  In many cases, we are heading in new directions that will bring new challenges. It is during these times that we must be conscience of what we are telling ourselves internally. We have to be sure not to sabotage ourselves with internal conversations that keep us from taking risks. During this week, take notes on any internal thought or conversation you may have with yourself.

This task is worth 40-points on your scorecards.

Thought Provoking Questions:

How often are you having internal conversations with yourself? Is it often enough?

Are you giving yourself encouraging or discouraging thoughts?

The Lesson:

If you are about to embark on a new journey the last thing you need is your own mind telling you that you “cannot do it” or that you “won’t be successful.”  These self-sabotaging thoughts lead to self-doubt which has the power to demoralize you and keep you from attaining your dreams.  It takes time and commitment to discontinue these thoughts but consider this one of the most important traits to keep under control as it will directly effect your ability to be successful.

Secondly, we all need to understand that none of us are born with expertise in any given area. There is only one way to become knowledgeable about a subject and that is to start learning today.  If your thoughts are saying, “you don’t know enough about that topic to be successful” remember that you merely have to start with one piece of information and just build from there.  Buy books, use the internet, and network with established experts.  Do what it takes so you feel confident in your new endeavor and surely your self-defeating thoughts will slowly fade into the background.

“Don’t let your mind sabotage your success” – Napoleon Hill