Reach For The Stars

Hello and welcome back to a new day, new goal, goal no 7, “Reach for the stars”.

In this episode we are going to discuss the strategies to dream big.

Happy Moment of The Week

But first, as always, it is time for our happy moment of the week. This time I am going to share a moment from my everyday life. As you all know by now, I am a very goal oriented person and I love to set new goals and work on them. We had been in “stay at home” order since Mid march. I was extremely regular in my workout routine before this pandemic. Before this order,  5 o'clock in the morning was my gym time. But after the gyms closed, I was a little worried about my routine. Will I be able to continue my workout routine? Will I be as consistent as before? But then, together with some friends, we started a challenge, a workout at home challenge. We all worked out at our homes and updated each other at the end of the day with our everyday progress. We have been doing that since then and it helped everyone to be consistent. It makes me so happy even to think about all the amazing things we achieved with this simple group. We got accountability buddies, our own tribe, friends for life. Everytime one of us doesn't want to workout or lags behind, someone from the group virtually lifts her up. Together we all are crushing our workout goals. I can’t be happier to see such an uplifting group of go-getters. 

What about you my friends? How was your week? Did you work on your action plan for last week? Did you work on your  last week’s goal? Did you call a friend who you really appreciate and tell them how good they are? I am so eager to read your comments. Please share your happy moment of the week in the comment section of the blog post for this episode or under the reviews section of your podcast app. I have shared the link in the show notes of this episode. I would love to hear your happy moments of the week. 

Okay, friends, let’s start working on today’s goal, “Reach for the Stars”. I am sure every person listening to this episode today, has dreams big or small does not matter.  We all want to achieve something in life. Sometimes, we don’t know what we want to achieve? Sometimes, we know what we want but don't know how to get to it?  Or we have some idea how to get there but don't have the right tools, or motivation or we are full of doubts, fear and worries. So our goal today is to get the confidence to dream big and then figure out tools to get to our big and beautiful dreams. So let’s start shall we?

Step 1 : Dream big

I absolutely love the quote “ Please don’t tell me sky's the limit when we already have footprints on the moon.” I never really understood why they say that sky’s the limit because if you are asking to dream big then don’t tell me the limit before I even start. I want you all to dream big. Don’t judge at this point what is actually possible based on your current situation because trust me, it is about to change.  I want you all to imagine your best life. What is your concept of your best life? What is the one thing that makes you so happy that you absolutely want it to be part of your life today and everyday? Again, a big dream could be different for everyone. We already discussed in the last episode, we are not in a comparison business. So a big dream for one could be totally different in every aspect than someone else. I just want you to let yourself wander in your imaginary world as if there are no restrictions, no rules. As long as your dream is not hurting someone else, you are totally free to think about it. I want you all to close your eyes and think about your big, amazing dream. It is okay if you feel somewhat uncomfortable about the magnitude of that dream but I want you allt to think about it as if it has already happened. Think as if you are already living your dream. Visualize every minute detail of it. Try to see how you look in that dream. Try to see how happy you look. Are you feeling fulfilled, content? How’s your surroundings look like? I want you all to soak in that amazing life. These few minutes will give you the motivation to work on your dream to such an extent that you won’t need any external motivation. You yourself have now seen how your life will look like when you achieve that dream, you have seen how happy and content you look when you get to that dream. What else do you need? Everytime you feel distracted on your journey towards this dream, do this exercise, close your eyes and imagine your future once you have achieved your dream, I guarantee you, no distractions, or setbacks can stop you now. Okay, so you're with me till this point? Were you able to figure out big and amazing dream? Now it's time to work for it. That brings me to Step no 2

Step 2 : Believe

If you want to get even an inch closer to your dream, first thing you have to do is to trust yourself because doubt kills more dreams than failure. Always remember that the reason you are doing this is because you want to make your life better. You have seen this dream, you know if you achieve this dream, you will be living your best life. It is all about you my friends. If it is really important to you, you will find a way else you will find an excuse. The easiest thing to do is to find an excuse. You can find an excuse in every corner if you are looking for one. I will tell you a simple example. If your dream is to build your own blog and you know that you have to wake up early everyday to spend some time writing your blog. You know that this is the best time for you. You are most productive in the morning, your creative juices are flowing in the morning. But then every time you hear the sound of your alarm at 5.00 o’clock, you don’t want to get up. Once you don’t feel like getting up, you will find excuses in every corner of your room. I could not sleep well last night so I need some extra sleep. I cannot think of a topic to write about. I don’t have a deadline till the weekend so have plenty of time on my hand. Let me sleep today and I will  do it tomorrow. It is too cold today to get up that early. You name it and you will find it. Excuses are hiding everywhere. It is your trust in your dream that will  not let you fall for the excuses. Trust yourself that you are here to do great things. It is your chance now. You are built for greatness. Trust that your dreams are waiting for your actions. You will be unstoppable if you just trust yourself, trust your dreams, trust the process that you have devised to get to those dreams. Just trust my friends.

Step 3 : Start today

I have mentioned in the previous episode, that goals without an action plan are only dreams. If you want your dreams to come true, if you want to live your dream then you need to act on it and if not today then when. Your current situation is giving you an opportunity to reevaluate your life your, choices. Think about it and act on it. Ask yourself what you are doing today is getting you closer to what you want tomorrow. You know deep down in your heart what actions you need to take to get closer to your dream. You know it very well. There might be hundreds of obstacles trying to stop you from getting closer to your dream. But friends, If you can’t stop thinking about your dream then don’t stop working on it. This is your life my friends and you have all the controls in your hand. Get to work. Do your research about what steps you need to take to get closer to your dream. We have talked about it. Once you know the bigger picture, break it into smaller chunks. Set a specific timeline for each milestone and then give your 100% to it, give your heart and soul to work on it. Celebrate each small win. But all this has to start today. Tomorrow is never a good day to start. You can not change what happened in the past, you don’t know what will happen in the future but you do have this precious moment in your hand. Today is your day. Seize the day. Start today my friends.

Step 4 : Be fearless, be fierce

When you see big dreams, I am sure you will feel scared, uncomfortable. But if your dreams don’t scare you then they are not big enough. When I thought of creating this podcast, I had zero knowledge of this medium. I was scared. I had a lot of doubts in the beginning. I thought I didn't have any social media presence. I don't have existing followers, who are going to listen to me. I did not know anything about hosting sites, recording , editing techniques. I only knew one thing that I love writing. I love connecting with people and motivating them. I know that I will give my 100% once I decide to work on something. I had trust that I could figure things out. So I started this journey, made a list of smaller tasks to accomplish to get closer to launching my podcast. I researched all about podcasting steps over google, youtube and just started one step at a time. Once I started working on my dream, I never ever thought about the outcome. My dad always used to say, focus on your work, don’t overthink about the outcome. Success will follow you if you do your work honestly. His words were by guiding pole. Doors are  opened to those who are bold enough to knock. Your dream will come true,  just have to show courage to pursue it.  It is okay to feel uncomfortable. It is okay to feel scared at first. But our ultimate goal is to let go of all of our fear, worries and work on our dream with a fierce mindset. I read a quote in my gym “the question isn't who is going to let me but the question is who is going to stop me’ Be unstoppable, be fierce, be bold my friends. 

Step 5 : Be Consistent 

We have discussed this in episode no 3 - Persistence over Perfection. I want you all to be consistent today and every day in your journey. We don’t want to be perfect on day 1 and then just lose it the next day. Everyday may not be good, but there is always something good in every day. Every small step towards your dream counts. There is a huge difference between working out 3 hours straight one day and working out everyday for 30 minutes. You know what will give you the results? You know the difference between getting your teeth cleaned once in six months in your dentist office versus bruising your teeth twice a day. Have you ever seen a bird called Baya Weaver? It is found in Indian subcontinent. It's a small bird and is best known for their hanging retort shaped nests woven from leaves. It takes a long time for this small bird to build their beautiful nest, collecting small twigs. But it never gives up, it keeps doing the one thing which is needed to build their home i.e. collecting the perfect twigs and leaves needed for their home. But once built, their nest is considered as the best example of the sophisticated architecture. Will it be possible if the bird gives up mid way? No right ? I hope you got my point. If you want to get closer to your forever cherished dream, working on it for only a day will help you achieve it. Be consistent. A little progress each day adds up to the big result.

Step 6 : Bounce back

It is a long road towards your dream. There might be some hard days when you might feel defeated, overwhelmed, doubtful but when you think like quitting think why you started. We all know the story of famous author J. K. Rowling. Harry Potter was and still is one of my favorite book series of mine. Do you know that she lived for years with government assistance as a single mother, and overcame a dozen rejections from publishers to become, almost overnight, one of the most successful and widely read authors in the history of the world. She said once that “ Rock bottom became my solid foundation on which I built my life” It is okay to fail. The important thing is to learn from our failures and instead of getting discouraged because of failure, try to bounce back from that setback. Failures are the stepping stones for the succes. 

It is your duty toward yourself not to fall into the same old story of giving up. You are here to write your future in bright and bold colors. Even if you don’t get there in your first try, you do have time, drive and motivation needed to get there and emerge victorious. You have come so far to just give up because of a small or even a big setback. Always, remember there is a very fine line between winners or achievers and looser or quitters because failures create winners. 

That brings me to the last step for today’s goal. This is something which is most important in your journey towards a successful life. 

Step 7 : Reach for the stars but feet still on the ground.

I want you all to remember the exercise we did at the beginning of the episode, where we imagined how our life will look like once we achieve our dream. I want you all now to think about your behaviour, your mannerism after you experienced the success. Do you feel changed? Do you feel privileged? I have no problem with you enjoying the success but always remember with success and privileges come the great responsibility too. There might be many successful people in the same room but being humble and grateful sets you apart in the crowd. I want to create a community of highly driven people here but the most important quality that we have to imbibe  in us is being humble. Success without humility is worthless. Being humble, gracious and nice will take you so far. Even if you have achieved your dream, you are living your dream, I want you all to be as humble as if you are just starting. Let’s leave a little sparkle everywhere you go. Let’s spread positivity and love. Let’s lift each other up.

Always remember your presence should be loved, cherished forever. Just remember always, that you were also just starting at some point. You also struggled at some time. You also needed help, compassion and empathy at some point. It is your responsibility now to show the same compassion, same empathy and love to the ones who are in need. We need people who are strong yet gentle, so educated that they can be humble, so fierce  that they can be compassionate, so passionate that they can be rational so disciplined that they can be free. 

I will tell you a simple solution that will help you keep grounded. Find your anchor that keeps your feet in ground while you reach for the stars. It can be your family, your kids, your trust. My mom was a successful and amazing doctor but I still remember her being extremely grounded and down to earth at home. It is no easy feet, when you are successful you are bound to feel proud about yourself. But being proud and being arrogant are totally different things. I want this to be a tribe of highly successful but humble people. I am sure we can build this amazing tribe with dreams so high and hopes so deep. So my lovely friends, let’s get up and get to work. We have a lot of work to do today. Dream deep for every dream. Shoot for the stars and reach high.

Recap

I want you all to remember the steps we discussed today to reach for the stars.

Step 1 : Dream big

Step 2 : Believe

Step 3 : Start today

Step 4 : Be fearless, be fierce

Step 5 : Be Consistent

Step 6 : Bounce back

Step 7 : Reach for the stars but feet till firm on the ground

This week, I want you all to first think about the one dream that you always want to achieve and then imagine your life as if you have achieved the dream. I want you all to start today. Start working today and everyday on the finer tasks involved in this big dream. Finally, start practicing the humility and compassion in your everyday life. 

On this note my friends,  dream big, aim high, reach for the stars and don’t ever stop believing.