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In last month's newsletter we covered the first three steps that leaders, international volunteers, and people who want to live generally awesome lives, can use to accomplish their dreams. Incase you missed it, you can read part 1 in the newsletter archives.
This month you will learn the last two steps towards achieving your dreams (plus a bonus tip to make life way better).
Step 4: Accept that there is no such thing as an overnight success.
When I started Changing the World 101 I expected I would be speaking at Harvard, Columbia, Oxford, and the Sorbonne within a year. Honestly. Nearly two years in, and I haven't spoken at one of those schools yet.
The problem is that my expectation for how long it takes to achieve my dreams was off; the timeline was too fast.
We live in a world of instant gratification. Social media, text messages, smartphones, super-fast Internet, and overnight shipping all work together to create a reality where we rarely have to wait very long for something we want.
And 99% of the time, that's perfectly fine. It's incredibly convenient. The only time this truly presents a problem is when we are working on projects that inevitably take a long time - like chasing your dreams and achieving wild levels of success.
Some things cannot be shortcut. If your dream is an ambitious one, then chances are it's going to take a bit of time to accomplish. Accept this. Accept that while many things in your life will happen in the blink of an eye, achieving your wildest dreams may take a bit more time. Learn to love the process.
The trick is to start with the first step. Start now. If you can't start now, schedule a time in your calendar within the next few days to begin.
Let those small successes that you encounter along the way push you forward. Though I am still waiting on that call from Harvard, I did recently speak at Colby College, one of the little Ivies. Slowly but surely, we can bring our dreams into reality.
Step 5: Erase the concept of failure from your brain.
All too often people begin an awesome project only to stop at the first setback. They think to themselves, "I failed", or, "It didn't work out", or "It wasn't meant to be" or any number of other false thoughts.
Don't let this happen to you. The concept of "failure" is a generally useless concept. If you don't succeed on your first attempt, think in terms of results. Instead of saying to yourself, "I failed" say, "I didn't get the results I wanted," and then tweak one of the variables, and try again.
Remember that success in anything is a process best taken one step at a time. You can’t get from the bottom of a tall staircase to the top without first walking the steps between.
As you chase your dreams, all you have to do is go step by step. If your footing falters for a moment, don’t worry. Instead of thinking “I failed. It is over!” Think, “Whoa, I misstepped there. Better take a closer look and try a slightly different approach.” By doing this, you will be just fine as you continue to rise to the top of your dreams.
Bonus tip: Surround yourself with people who will support you, and ignore all other noise.
As you begin to lead a more and more awesome life you will notice that not everyone is supportive of the decisions you make. That's ok. To the best of your ability, ignore those people and surround yourself with those who are supportive and helpful. Even if you aren't busy chasing one of your dreams, your life will be exponentially better when it is populated by people who help you lead it well.
Dream big!
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