Thank you for checking in! Let’s keep it REAL, a vacation isn’t REAL until you start packing and preparing for it. You can daydream about it and even plan what you’ll do when you get there, but it’s all a dream until you start doing what it takes to make it REAL. The same rules apply to life. Let’s get into some questions you might want to ask yourself and action steps you might want to take to get ready for your dream life and make your dreams a reality.
Where’s My Destination?
This is the first question you need to ask yourself. Think about a vacation. You don’t just end up anywhere, right? When you’re preparing for a vacation, after deciding to go on a vacation (obviously), the first thing you always do is pick the place you’re going. Let’s think about the vacation as your dream life. What does it look like? Is the sun out? Is it raining? Where are you? Is it cold? Is it hot? Now apply this to your dream life: What are you doing? Do you have a job? If so, what job do you have? If not, what business do you own? Your life, just like your vacation, needs a direction! You need to have a clear idea of where you’re going so you’ll know when you’re there. Let’s keep it REAL, without a destination, what’s the point of planning to go anywhere in the first place? Think about how this relates to your dream life.
How Will I Get There?
Okay, so you’ve chosen where you’re going. Everybody knows the next thing we usually do when planning a vacation is figure out how we’re going to get there. “Are we flying or driving?” is typically the question; because let’s be REAL, it’s not every day that you can walk to your vacation spot. Anyway, think about how this applies to dream life. Now that you’ve figured out what your dream life is, what do you have to do to get there? What will be your mode of transportation? For example, if you want to become a medical doctor, how would you get there? What schools would you look into? What would your specialty be? What do your grades have to look like to get there? These are all the modes of transportation questions you might want to ask yourself if you want to get to where you want to go. There is a powerful book, that’s surprisingly affordable, about the importance of mentorship called, Tribe Advice: Short Life Advice From The Best in the World, that we highly recommend!
Let’s be REAL, nobody wants to take an unreliable car on a long road trip. It’s a good idea to check whatever vehicle you might be using before a vacation to make sure it’s reliable. The same rule applies to life. It might be smart to focus on modes of transportation that are reliable and won’t break down on you in the long run. Good grades, for example, are a reliable vehicle because they can only add value to whatever it is you choose to do. Selling something illegally to make money, on the other hand, is simply not a reliable source of income because it can cost you much more down the road… Just ask Ghost from Power. When you take a reliable mode of transportation toward your dream life, however, you don’t have to worry about constantly looking over your shoulder. You can spend more time focused on getting to where you need to go to get what you want. This is a very important step and should be a top priority for any planned vacation and, of course, your dream life.
What Do I Need To Bring?
So, after you’ve figured out where you’re going and how you’re getting there, it’s time to pack! Another good idea to help you prepare is to create a vacation list that you will always need to take with you when you go on vacation. You’ll always have this list when you’re ready to go on vacation. You won’t have to worry about forgetting something (especially if it’s important! Nobody likes that headache). Let’s keep it REAL, we get so excited about the vacation sometimes, that we forget the things we need when we get there.
It’s much more simple when it comes to life because you only need one thing: your mind. The stronger your mindset is, the more likely you’ll be able to get to where you need to go in life. The strongest mindset you can have is a growth mindset, which is the mentality of using failures or negative experiences as opportunities to grow. More about a growth mindset can be found (for less than $10) in, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, by world-renowned psychologist Carol Dweck. Also, for our younger audience of future leaders, here’s a Growth Mindset Workbook for Kids, with over 50 challenging activities that require creative thinking and problem-solving strategies.
Someone with a strong mindset stays consistent and always focuses on the destination. They don’t get distracted by the signs on the side of the road. They’re driven by doing whatever it takes to get to their destination. The right mindset is the only thing you’ll need to start your dream life. You’ll get everything else along the way because of your mindset.
Create A Road Map (Optional, but Highly Recommended)
Okay, so before GPS was on everyone’s phone, people would find directions to somewhere and print them out from their computer. You could even find gas stations and food stops along the way; highlighting them on the paper as you get closer along the way. No matter how reliable your car is, depending on how far you’re going, you’ll always need to stop for gas. You might need to stop for food as well (especially if you have kids… at any age). It can be nice when you know exactly when and where you’ll need to stop along your trip. You can schedule when you’re leaving so you can hit the stops you need to and still arrive at your destination on time.
This, of course, also applies to life. Think about “life” as the journey toward your destination (your “dream life”). Let’s keep it REAL, there are times throughout our life we could use a little kick in the butt for motivation or to let us know when we’re falling asleep at the wheel because we’re tired and/or hungry. As we’ve already pointed out, these people are your mentors, and they can be used along the way to help you continue your journey to your dream life. The best part is, if you choose wisely, they may have already been to where you’re going so they can help you get there and even tell you how it is there, including any shortcuts they’ve discovered. Your mentors are so important for you on your journey because, just like that reliable car, you’ll be thankful when you’re running out of gas and can go to a mentor for guidance.
You can also let others (not just your mentors) know where you’re going. Think about the old-timers who would travel with printed paper and would get lost. What did they do? They asked someone for help! They would show them the paper with a confused look and the person they asked would guide them along their way with a smile. People who you wouldn’t even think of as important on your journey might just be the people who give you the direction you needed; but they can’t give you help if they don’t know where you’re going.
It’s Time To Drive!
So after you know where you’re going, how you’re getting there and what you’re bringing, it’s time to go! Of course, there are plenty of people who choose to fly to their vacation, but for the purpose of this post, we will drive there. When you have drive in life, you take action. That’s the point here. After you’ve created the entire game plan for the trip, the more important step is to act on that plan. The hardest part is to start, but it’s the best part because it only gets easier after that. When you think about it that way, it doesn’t seem so bad to take that first step. This concept reminds us of working out and how most of us dread that inevitable soreness the next three days after that first day; but after 3 weeks, 3 months or 3 years, you start to embrace the soreness because you begin to realize that it’s just inevitable growth. It helps you understand the importance of making that initial commitment. You start to embrace the journey and eventually, the hard work doesn’t seem so hard. You’ll thank yourself later.
Thanks again for checking in with us! We hope this gave you some REAL value. We want our culture to start making their dreams a reality. We all want great things in life and nothing is stopping us. If we want that dream life, just like our vacation, we must plan it out then earn it. A final thought we want to leave you with is to realize that there is only one life (at least that we know of) that we are fortunate to live. This means that we should take advantage of our opportunity and make the most of this life while we still have it. When it comes to hard work and embracing the journey, realize that success is inevitable when coupled with hard work, so you’ll either get to your destination (eventually) or die enjoying the journey. It’s up to you. By the way, if you haven’t already, check out our previous posts, discussing what this movement is all about and REAL Values that are meant to help you get the success you deserve!
Keep it REAL.
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