By John Rampton
Maybe you’ve been called a dreamer your whole life – by
others and by yourself. However, saying you are a dreamer
or a doer is like saying you are good or bad. Nobody is 100
percent one way or the other, but they may lean more in one
direction. It’s a spectrum, and the good news is that you can
shift the paradigm so you’re a little more balanced. Remember
that being a doer is not necessarily better than being adreamer. You need both to succeed. If you are really off kilter and have a lot more dreamer tendencies, it is time to take action. Following are some of the easiest, quickest ways to embrace your inner doer so your dreamer can take a little
break. Remember, without a comprehensive, balanced
approach you’ll just keep going in circles:
Write down goals and give them deadline
So, you say you want to write a novel and have it ready to
submit to literary agent or publishing house. That’s awesome
– but how far along are you? What do you define as
“submission ready”? How long can you write per day, and is
it scheduled into your routine just like work or going to the
gym?
Depending on where you are with your draft, choose a
deadline for being submission ready (less than two years
out), or schedule mini-deadlines, such as two chapters
written by month’s end. This approach works for any goal.
Balance wants and needs
Every time you decide you want to do something, follow that
up with a list of steps you need to take to make it happen.
This might mean saving a certain amount of money for a
special event like your wedding. If you want to save $10,000
in one year, look at your budget and figure out what you need
to cut to make that happen. You might also need to pick up
more hours at work, a second job or practice more frugal
living.
Surround yourself with doers
Birds of a feather certainly flock together, but you probably
have more doer acquaintances and friends than you realize.
Who are your five best friends? Dreamers feed off of each
other, but if you’re around doers they will inspire you. The
staunchest ones aren’t quick to indulge your dreamer
tendencies and will want to know what your plan is.
Remember: you are in charge of your support network.
Stop doing what doesn’t work
You know Einstein’s definition of insanity, so why do you get
stuck in that rut? If you’ve been dreaming about something
but your attempts haven’t led to positive results, it is time to
stop, reassess, figure out what’s wrong and try a fresh
approach. You’ll never get anywhere making the same
mistakes over and over again.
Assume everything will take longer and cost more
One of the downsides of being a dreamer is that it is easy to
think of everything as easy during the dreaming stage.
However, things have a tendency to take more money and
time than you imagine. When writing down your action plan,
increase time and money by ten percent and give yourself a
buffer. The worst case scenario is you’ll succeed with time
and money left over.
Don’t let your drive to be a doer brush your dreaming
tendencies totally under the rug. It’s your source of
inspiration, creativity. and means of reaching for the stars.
*Rampton is the founder of the online invoicing company,
Due, and a start-up enthusiast
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