Week 14: WHAT ARE YOUR DREAMS AND OBSTACLES?

PLANNING: This week the intention was to talk to three people about what their dreams were and the major obstacles that they faced. I decided this on Sunday and planned to do it throughout the week. 

SCHEDULING: I left this a little open this week and tried completing this task during my everyday conversations. In theory, the flexibility should have allowed me to get this done quite easily, but I ran into some difficulties that I will mention in my Learnings section. 

IMPLEMENTATION: I was able to complete the task of talking with three people this week and two main things allowed me to do this. First came a strategy from Jeff Goins who said that action will follow mindset. This means to change your mindset to being a pro at whatever you do, find out what the pros do in that field, and consistently do that on a daily basis. For me, if I want to complete 52 tasks in 52 weeks to discover, pursue, and achieve my dreams, then I have to model what other successful people do. Second is what I learned last week from Tim Ferris who said that the most important habit to have is to "stick to key habits, especially when you don't want to." 

LEARNINGS: This week I set out to find out what peoples dreams were and what their major obstacles they had. I thought it best to see what major hurdles people face, so that I can eventually finds ways to help them overcome them in the process of discovering, pursuing, and achieving your dreams. All three individuals had different responses to both questions and they are listed below:

• Person 1 (female): This person said her dreams were to help those that are less fortunate through volunteering or other programs. She also said that her major obstacles are FEAR of not succeeding in trying something new by not having the necessary skills, for example language.

• Person 2 (male): This person's dream is to work for a major publication as a journalist. He said his major obstacle was lack of experience in the field. 

• Person 3 (female): This person said she would like to be a sculptor and her major obstacle was availability of studios. 

Although each person said different things there are some similarities. For example, person 1 and 2, the lack of experience could cause the anxiety of not succeeding in a new field. This will be interesting as I continue to gather feedback, but hopefully themes will start to appear and I will be able to identify and find solutions to the major obstacles that we face in discovering, pursuing, and achieving our dreams. 

Additionally, I wanted to add the insights I gained from the process of completing the task this week. I had some difficulty completing the task of talking to three people and asking them what their dreams were and their major obstacles standing in their way. At the end of the week I had a quality reflection period and I was able to come away with three big learnings:

1) Knowledge is not power, but EXECUTION is. This came up in my weekly reading of Money-Master the Game by Tony Robbins. I say this because last week I gained the knowledge that I made completing the task difficult, as I did not incorporate earlier strategies that had worked. Although I gained that knowledge, I still did not follow through on writing my tasks out in high traffic areas or scheduling out specific times to complete the task. It is certain that this week I will make it a point to commit to these strategies so that I can complete next weeks task easier. 

2) PLANNING is a crucial step. This past Sunday I decided on what to do, but then I did not clearly plan out specifically how, when I was going to do it. As I reflected at the end of the week, it stemmed from not having a clear plan. In previous weeks I blocked out certain times and even uploaded the websites that I needed on both mobile devices and laptops at home. It was an AHA moment, when I was able to identify this. 

3) Appreciate more, and judge less. For some reason I feel that if I complete the task earlier in the week and am able to do more, then the week was much more of a success than other weeks where I struggle to complete the tasks. I have learned that you can not judge one week from another, as the main goal is to complete your 52 in 52 and use the cumulative effect of consistently completing tasks.There will be great weeks, but their will be more challenging weeks. The key is to commit to completing the tasks that help you discover, pursue, and achieve your dreams.

Thanks for tuning in and in the comment sections please share what are your dreams and obstacles?