In the science fiction disaster film Armageddon by Michael Bay, a gigantic asteroid, “the size of Texas,” is on a collision course with Earth. NASA engineers decide the best way to prevent the asteroid from colliding with Earth is to detonate a nuclear weapon in the middle of the asteroid to split the asteroid into two halves that will safely pass by Earth. They have 18 days to accomplish the task. 

Nothing motivates quite like a deadline. Well, that and the threat of the destruction of Earth, but we can save that for the movies.

But there is something about a deadline that helps motivate us to do great work. An impending, ever-present date, a ticking clock, encouraging us to conjure creativity, find inspiration, and to do it now. 

But what does a deadline have to do with your dreams?

“A goal is a dream with a deadline.”

Napolean Hill

I love this quote. Napolean Hill gives hope to accomplishing our dreams simply by placing a deadline on those dreams.

So what is it that YOU dream about?

…And have you ever tried to make it into a goal by placing a deadline on your Dream? And, how does one place a deadline on a Dream? And then what? 

What I like to do when I am looking to accomplish something great is to do a brain dump/free write and write down all the things I can think of which I will need to achieve before that Dream is a reality. That list helps me understand the volume of work involved, which allows me to have a realistic idea of when a deadline might make sense. 

After you determine a realistic deadline, you will want to put together a to-do list.

The To-Do List

A to-do list is simply a list of tasks you write down to check off tasks on your way to accomplishing your goal. After doing your brain dump, sort through the list, determine actionable items, and then add those to your to-do list.

I am a big fan of the to-do list. In our overstimulated lives full of distractions, the to-do list is the one proven way I keep myself grounded and on a schedule to remain focused and get everything done. 

Here is a free download of my no-frills to-do sheet, which I use for all of my personal and professional tasks. It doesn’t look like much, but it works. 

Do you want to make your Dream a reality? 

You can start today.

• Write down your Dream, then come up with a deadline.
• Brainstorm/freewrite all the things you need to achieve to accomplish your dream.
• Create your to-do list from your brainstorm.
• Get going.

You can do this, you CAN reach your goals. You just have to dare to begin.

P.S. I recommend using a red sharpie when marking off items on your list! It just feels like you’ve really accomplished something big when you mark it off with a red sharpie.

Ok, that’s all for today. Be safe out there!

#CreateSomethingGreat