One of the biggest challenges I ever faced was becoming a faith-supported missionary. That meant sharing my ministry with people and giving the opportunity to give funds to support it. I made the decision to do so in 1998. Since then 100% of my income has come this way.
CC Image courtesy of Niklas Morberg on Flickr
At first it seemed impossible. I remember saying it seemed like an immense mountain to climb. But gradually the dream was achieved by taking steps as in the DOO IT outline below.
As explained in my last blog, (click HERE to see it) there are two kinds of people in the world:
1. Goal Setters
2. Problem Solvers
Both Goal Setters and Problem Solvers work toward accomplishment, they just approach it differently. When faced with a challenge like raising money, some want to solve the problem. Others want to reach the goal of being supported.
Whether you are a Problem Solver or Goal Setter, here are 4 steps to accomplishing your dreams, forming the acronym DOO IT:
D = Decide
The first thing to do is decide exactly what you want to accomplish.
When you decide, remember what Ben Franklin said; “Thoughts disentangle themselves when they flow through the lips or the finger tips.”
You’ll want to either write down your intention, announce it to others or both.
Also when you decide, it’s important to determine (and write down) WHY you must solve this problem or achieve this goal. This clarifies and intensifies your motivation.
Many people don’t accomplish their dreams because their “why” is not powerful enough to inspire them.
Don’t let indecision become a barrier. Decide.
OO = Overcome Obstacles
The next step is to be honest about the challenges you will face—list them.
Don’t be discouraged as you list obstacles—be encouraged that you’re determining what must be overcome to reach your vision.
Along with listing the obstacles, you’ll want to write down how you can overcome them. See if you can find 10 solutions for every obstacle.
I = Incrementalize
Whether you have a goal to achieve or a problem to solve, you’ll need to list the incremental the steps to accomplish your dream.
A few years ago I determined to write a book on church planting. Since our ministry was to be the publisher and I was in charge of publications, that meant organizing the incremental steps along the way; from outlining the book to writing it, to getting it edited, getting graphics and layout, finding a printer, raising the funds, deciding on cover art, making the order, getting it shipped to us, promoting it and so on.
That was a lot of organizing, especially with our very small staff. But there was no way around it—organizing the incremental steps was the only way the book would become a reality.
How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. To solve a big problem or achieve a big goal, we must complete one incremental step at a time.
What are the incremental steps you must take to accomplish your dream?
T = Timeline
Finally, it is important to decide when we want to achieve each incremental step. Without deadlines, we’ll be tempted to let things slide.
Deadlines help provide the motivation to achieve our steps and bring us to our dream on time.
In addition to setting the deadlines, put work sessions on your calendar. When you schedule the time, it is much easier to avoid interruptions by letting people know you have a commitment.
Click HERE for an MS Word DOO IT Dream Worksheet template to achieve your dreams. I like this simple document because it forces me to think through each of the steps to accomplishing my dreams.
A mountain climb to the highest peak always begins with the first steps. Take these steps and DOO IT!