I Have A Dream

Martin Luther King said “I Have A Dream.”  He followed that dream and it was the roughest road imaginable.  It eventually cost him his life, but in all accounts it was a successful trip.  He changed the face of America forever.  Do you have a dream?

To make it in this world you have to be ready for some challenges and some of the best advice I’ve heard is to follow these principles:

First, you actually have to have a clear vision for what you want to accomplish.  Physical performance coaches are fond of telling athletes to imagine the moves and the ball going where you want it to. You need to do the same thing with your life dreams.  Put that goal out there.   See it every day.

Second, don’t ignore the fundamentals that you need to master.  When I learned to play lead guitar in a band I had a vision, but without learning the fundamentals of my scales, I was not going to make it.

Third, you need to learn about the arena you are venturing into.  How does it all work.  When I was in my career as a law enforcement ranger with the park service, I wanted to know how every function of the work was accomplished…that meant even cleaning the public toilets or going out on resource management projects.  It paid off.  Not only did I gain knowledge, but I was seen as part of the team.

One of the common “truisms” that is always quoted is “success is where preparation and opportunity meet.”  So as my fourth maxim, be prepared for the unexpected.  You may have a plan, but something different comes up.  Several of my friends in the park service were anxious over promotions.  One friend was offered a resource ecologist position that took him out of the ranger series.  It was a detour that unexpectedly prepared him and propelled him even faster to the top as park ranger superintendent.  My detour sent me to an undesirable desert assignment that gave me huge opportunities to learn and “be a big fish in a small pond” and a double promotion in place.  It wasn’t what I’d planned, but it was the best detour I ever made.

Fifth, know yourself and your abilities.  Once you do, you can be confident that you are going to make it.  Confidence radiates around you.  People feel it.  Being humble along with it is an extra plus.  You can be both.

Sixth, reward those who are part of your success.  Nothing creates failure quicker than taking advantage of people around you and not giving credit and rewards where it is due.  If you take care of those you are responsible for, they will take care of you!

Lastly, make sure you don’t see failure as the defeat of your goal.  There is no one in the world who hasn’t experienced setbacks.  Those who succeed are the ones that don’t give up.  Statistically, it usually takes two or three failed businesses before someone finally makes a business that succeeds.  That should give you hope that if you stick to it, you will make it.  Remember, every failure has a lesson embedded in it and teaches you how to better succeed at your goal.  Look at failures as learning experiences and not ends in themselves, but rather “new beginnings.”