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Nathan Snell is an entrepreneurship & business development major about to graduate from the University of North Carolina in Wilmington, a fitting degree for a Gen-Yer who started doing consultant work at age 11. A technological addict with a strong business obsession, Nathan involves himself in all things creative, most recently product development and social media marketing which you can read about on his 
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I love people who have a dream, that particular something they want to accomplish, the pinnacle of their efforts now in relation to then. When these people speak of their passions you can almost feel their pain because their dream is still then and not now. Whether they want to become a world famous author, an amazing teacher or an artist doesn’t matter. What matters is fulfilling their dream.
What saddens me though, is when I see those of you who are as I describe, passionate to accomplish their dream, but possibly never will. Not because you can’t accomplish it, but because you don’t know how. At first it’s a funny thought to consider, not knowing how to accomplish your dream- to fulfill your passion- but if you put a bit of thought into it, its possibility becomes chillingly real.
If you’re not sure whether you know how to accomplish your dream or not, ask yourself what the last thing you did that brought you one step closer to achieving it was. Attending college doesn’t count. As I see it, if the only way you’re getting closer to your dream is by attending college (or similar) then you’re wasting your passion- that blazing fire that’s in you.
I’m not trying to scare you into thinking you can’t achieve your dreams- you can. What I am trying to do is make you aware that they won’t happen on their own and let you in on how you have to be involved in making them happen.
There are only 4 things you need to remember to make your dreams happen. I know these 4 things work because I have used them to make the goals I have had at various times happen.
1. Your dreams aren’t dreams, they’re goals.
Perception is a vastly important part of our lives. It shapes our understanding and it shapes our actions. Galileo discovered the moon had ridges not because he was smarter than the last person that peered through a telescope but because his perception was that of an artist. He saw something different. As such, your perception of what it is you want to accomplish matters. Dreams are alterations of reality, these things that we can only hope to accomplish at some point in our lives. Goals are things we know we can accomplish. Have goals, not dreams.
2. Create a vision of what it is you want to accomplish.
Just like the top companies have a guiding vision for the next 2-5 years, you need one for your goal as well. Having a strong vision is paramount to accomplishing your goal. The more defined it is, the better. While some can have a broader goal and make up for it by setting a larger number of smaller goals (see step 3) you are more likely to complete your goal by having a strong vision.
3. Set smaller goals that help create the path to your primary goal.
You have to start somewhere, and while you can try to go from nothing to something, it’s unrealistic. If you really want to accomplish your goal, you will have a much better chance for success if you set a number of smaller goals you will complete on the way to your primary goal. You can think of these as accomplishments. You don’t have to think small with these goals and these must not be arbitrary. They must be quantifiable at the very least to a pass/fail extent. That is, it’s either completed or it needs to be completed.
It is important to know, too, that just because you haven’t completed all of your smaller goals does not mean you cannot complete your primary goal. Your smaller goals are more of stepping stones, a way to give yourself immediate direction and course of action.
4. If you have nothing to lose, do it.
I will say this simply, even though it can be difficult: Put fear aside, don’t hesitate. Fear is what will stunt your potential. It will prevent you from getting where you are now to where you want to be. There is a mantra I apply to a great deal of things. It is very simple and has served me (and others) well. Quite simply, if you have nothing to lose by doing something, then do it.
For example: If you want to be published in a magazine and have something to submit, submit it. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. By not submitting it, you give yourself zero opportunity to progress. By submitting it, you have 2 outcomes. The first is you get published and have gained everything. The second is you don’t get published, meaning you’re where you are currently and have lost nothing.
Be confident and just do it if you have nothing to lose. You risk nothing in situations like these. If rejection is a risk to you, then consider the fact that all you’re risking is rejection when what you are gaining is success.
The four steps may seem simple or obvious, but their power is phenomenal. I use them with virtually any goal it is I want to accomplish. By getting in the mindset of being able to achieve what it is you want, identifying your vision, putting in place the stepping stones (small goals), and embracing the ‘do it’ mantra, it really sets you on the path. It may not happen smoothly or immediately, as it takes some practice and the right mindset, but it will happen.
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But what about situations where you DO have something to lose?
I think we all have to remember that there will always be risk in decisions we make. It’s what (hopefully) makes us appreciate the success. Fear is natural in situations of great risk. But when faced with these decisions where I have something to lose, I ask people I trust and get their advise. (Knowing that ultimately, I have to make the decision for myself and then deal with the consequences of that decision.) But I will never forget a bit of advice that my grandma gave to me when talking about a decision to relocate that I think is excellent for situations where there is risk involved like these:
“Go for it! Do it while you can. You’re young, so if you screw up your life, you have a long time to fix it.”
Thanks, Grandma.
(P.S. Virtual high fives to a fellow North Carolinian!)
Paging Tony Robbins….
I think the value of setting a set of smaller goals that lead to the bigger picture is absolutely crucial. More than often we spend a lot of time thinking about the grand idea and forget about the details we need accomplished to execute things successfully.
Speaking to Rosie’s comment, I think it’s important to get advice from you’re most trusted and respected circle, but to also know when to follow your heart and just do it. Her grandma sounds like a wise soul. Gotta give her props.
Rosie, I think you have the right approach when it comes to those decisions that do have consequences. Seeking advice from those wiser to make the most informed decision (being sure not to exclude yourself from those with a perspective on it) in such a case is a great method.
There will be a mix of goals that do have consequences and those that don’t. It’s also a matter of what you set your goals as. Eg: If you want to be published and it requires cold calling an agent, be smart about it and do it. If the result isn’t what you want, you’ve lost nothing.
As Ryan said, the purpose of the small goals is to be stepping stones to that grand idea. It’s to provide a path.
I agree with Rosie. One reason why we should take risks while still young (like open businesses, live abroad, invest in the stock market) is that we have more time to recover if ever we do fail.
I guess thats why I’ve been on such a meandering career myself. I’ve written for a newspaper (still do as a columnist), lived in Beijing for several years, taught English in China, and am now studying in law school. The only thing I havent quite done on my “risk list” is to open my own business and become an entreprenuer. But that’s in the planning stages and I hope to jump into that in the next few years.
Good insights Nathan, though I suggest you pepper your future writing with more stories or examples. That always helps get the point accross more quickly.
Cheers!
Thanks for the feedback, Kelvin. I will definitely work to do so in my future writings
As I read that I relize I’ve already gone through 3 of the 4 steps, the only thing I’m missing is the last one. Sadly, I do have something to lose as right now I’m the sole source of income and I can’t take off and follow my dreams until I know we’ll be able to keep eating.
I’d be interested to see an article or get some opinions on how to break through from being an interested party to becoming a success. For example, right now I write for a few “freebie” websites in the hopes of building a portfolio and getting noticed by one of the “big boys.” However, there seems to be very little advice out there for how to break through to the other side. Setting goals and working hard is great, but how does one take the next step?
Brad, in that case it’s definately who you know. The web is powerful but there is nothing like an editor being able to put a name with a face, even if it’s not your name, but the name of a friend who referred a friend who referred you.
Brad, it is unfortunate that there are times when your end goal does in fact lead to a step where you do have something to lose (like Rosie mentioned). This is of course the case when in an environment as the leading provider (I always think it very awesome to be able to provide!).
What Scott says about an editor mentioning you is quite true. It will do wonders. While I don’t know exactly who you are referring to when you say “Big Boys” the article in part aligns itself with that idea. The small steps or achievements you make should be strategic enough to make your way to the big guys.
I don’t want to say what the next step should be as I don’t fully know the environment or situation, but I am sure you could e-mail Ryan Paugh, Ryan Healy, or myself and we can discuss it
One thing I will say, however, is that face-to-face is king. Get into a conference involving your industry. At the very least go to some blogger socials. It’s very hard to get established or noticed without building the face-to-face relationships. It is possible, though, but if you can do the face-to-face, do it as much as you can. If you can’t do face-to-face, then I would recommend finding out who blogs in the same geographic location as you (then see about meeting up after some blogging correspondence). I’ve used TwitterWhere to do this in the past (twitterwhere.mattking.org/). Hope that helps