To Boldly Go
My dream seems like a long shot. The book that tells me “what, why, and how” doesn’t exist. There are no certifications or degree plans. In fact it’s hard to define exactly what I’m trying to accomplish.
We must create our own path and boldly follow it. That’s why I study success. Success principles, practices, and mindset are about improving the odds, getting clear on the goal, focusing on what is in your control, and gaining skills to deal with the long journey (and much, much more).
I need my own path.
The Illusion of Progress
I spent many years experimenting with different projects, but I never defined an end goal. Years slipped away. It felt like I was working, but I didn't have anything to show for all the work — just a bunch of tasks checked off a list.
Each year I update my vision statement for the current and next year. Looking back at my vision statements I realized they were too fuzzy. I listed goals such as: get better at blogging, and focus more on travel, finish eBook, etc.
I didn’t have an overall plan. I didn’t have measurable goals. How do you prove that you’ve gotten better at blogging? And how do you measure "focus more on travel"?
It finally started to bother me that at the end of the year I had many hours of work, but nothing of substance.
I finally came to the conclusion I needed to come up with a plan that would ensure I would have some tangible wins at the end of the year. And, I wanted these tangible wins to be assets that I could continue to use year after year. I was tired of creating things that had no long-term value. I needed to come up with something that would almost guarantee my success.
Becoming a Master
In 2020 I started studying success principles and practices. I started to see where my problems were.
I began to design my own path to mastery. I created four levels of achievement loosely based on the college degree system such as associate, bachelors, masters, and PhD.
My criteria was to have tangible wins by the end of each level. And, I wanted these tangible wins to be assets that I could continue to use year after year.
I wanted to make each level simple. Each level must have just enough challenge to be difficult, but not too much as to cause discouragement. For each level I came up with measurable targets. I didn't tie the levels to a specific time limit. This would give me the flexibility to increase or decrease effort based on my circumstances. Life happens.
For Level 1, I chose the metric of 1500 hours of combined training and writing. I also wanted to have something tangible at each level, so I included two digital products (eBooks) to be completed.
My third metric was audience. What would a writer be without an audience? This is a significant metric! I define “audience” as someone who has a personal interest in the continent and equally interested in future content.
So, my Level 1 of success mastery is:
LEVEL 1 (Associate Degree)
1500 hours of deliberate study and writing (this is mostly reading books and writing articles and newsletters).
2 digital products (this doesn’t count blog posts or newsletters).
Audience Base: 10
Once I defined one level it was easy to use it as a starting point for levels 2 through 4.
I estimate it will take me 6 to 8 years to achieve level 4.
Where Am I Now?
At the midpoint of 2022
I have 1226 hours of training and writing, and need 274 more hours to achieve 1500.
I currently have two digital products I am working on.
I haven’t achieved an audience base of 10 highly interested people yet. But I’m okay with that as I’m still developing my style and expanding my foundational knowledge. Level 2 is where I start working on outreach and building an audience.
Finally
Breaking your dream into levels of achievement has many benefits:
It provides structure. Some people might not need structure, but I do. Otherwise it would be overwhelming.
It provides an objective way to mark progress and celebrate our achievements along the way. Celebration is a must!
Level 1 also serves as a test. If you make it through level one, and still want to continue, then you can have a high confidence that you have found the right thing to commit to. Hallelujah!
If you don’t make it through level one, you have ruled out that path. Pick your next dream, full steam ahead!
I’ll let you know when I complete Level 1. I will print a certificate of achievement and celebrate with a fine dinner. Then I will decide if I choose to continue to Level 2.
I wish you many celebrations on your journey!
To your success!
What is your dream?
My dream is to write small but powerful books that simplify success, and plant them like seeds.
My first book is "How to Build a Foundation for your Dreams." You can read it FREE at www.jamesonsuccess.com/books.