Dream Big – 3 Steps to Set Your Goals Based on What You Want
Updated: Feb 6, 2024
Written by: Marlena O´Donnell, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
If you believe you are ordinary, you will only have an ordinary life.
We are brought up with a set of limitations. At school, we are measured by our academic ability. When we apply for jobs, our skills and experience are being assessed. We are told we are good at this and not so good at that. We are constantly being put into boxes, and we put ourselves into boxes. We measure and are being measured. We compare ourselves to others and set bars for our level of achievement accordingly. Our goals tend to be what we think is possible for us to achieve, not beyond the known factors.
But what if there is another way?
Set your goals based on what you want, not what you think is possible.
Michael was shortsighted, which put him at a disadvantage as an athlete. He was heavier than his competitors and had no funding to pursue his dream of being a successful athlete. He wasn’t a great skier, so he switched to ski jumping as there were no British ski jumpers at the time of the 1988 Winter Olympics.
Michael, known as “Eddie the Eagle,” was not deterred by his many disadvantages. He did not focus on what was possible but on what he wanted, and what he wanted was to be an Olympian. He represented Great Britain at the 1988 Winter Olympics.
We are good at ignoring our heart’s desires by telling ourselves they are impossible to achieve. By setting goals that are “possible,” we limit ourselves to being like everyone else, to living an ordinary life, to miss out on adventures, on the thrill of excitement when the seemingly impossible turns possible.
Step 1:
Identify an outcome that you want with all your heart, no matter how impossible it may appear
Dream even bigger.
Richard has dyslexia and did not do very well at school. His first business venture was growing and selling Christmas trees and budgerigars.
Richard Branson is now one of the most influential people in the world, and his successful business ventures range from record shops to space tourism. In his own words: “If your dreams don’t scare you, they are too small.”
Whatever it is that you want, go beyond it. Think bigger, more outrageous, more improbable. Thinking small will keep you confined to ordinary life.
Step 2:
Amplify the outcome from Step 1. For example, if your dream is to write a bestseller, imagine writing several bestsellers and being interviewed by Oprah Winfrey after writing a book read by millions.
Focus on the end result, not on the barriers.
Barbara was born with a disability in a communist country with no freedom of travel. She was destined to be looked after by her family or live in an institution. Her dream was to study in the UK. She had no money, no connections, nowhere to stay. Barbara took no notice of what stood in her way. She focused on her dream instead. She wrote to over a hundred scholarship-giving organizations and universities asking for a scholarship and a place at a university. A year later, Barbara arrived in the UK. She completed not just one but two degrees, found the love of her life, and has had an amazing life. She is not living in an institution.
Barbara is my middle name.
When you focus on all the conditions that have to be met to achieve what you want, your energy is subsumed by resolving these issues. On the other hand, if you focus on the result, you will find a way of getting what you want more easily.
Step 3:
After identifying what you want to achieve, imagine that this has already happened. Identify the first step or steps you need to take to turn your vision into reality. Ignore the voice of doubt, giving you all the reasons why your goal is difficult or impossible to achieve. The voice of doubt doesn’t know what is possible!
Give up being ordinary.
However crazy, impossible, big your dreams are, you can make them happen. Why limit yourself to what is known to you if you can aim sky high and achieve much more than you’ve ever thought possible? Dream big and aim for the impossible!
Marlena O’Donnell, Executive Contributor, Brainz Magazine
Marlena O’Donnell is a certified life coach, mentor, and motivational speaker specializing in freeing her clients from beliefs that are not serving them well. Marlena has successfully helped many people gain an unwavering belief in themselves, confidence, motivation, and courage to go after what they want in life through individual and group coaching, mentoring, and workshops. Marlena has personal experience of overcoming significant challenges in life and succeeding against all odds. This, combined with her thorough understanding of both business matters and personal issues, puts her in a unique position to help her clients successfully navigate their way through difficulties they face in all areas of life and achieve “the unachievable.” As a motivational speaker, Marlena inspires others to make powerful and lasting changes in their life. She has been a keynote speaker at business events, online conferences, and summits.
