When I wrote Two Big Questions, One Amazing Life, I created a mnemonic device to help you remember how to turn your dreams (quests) into reality. Here’s an excerpt from the eBook. It’s a FREE download.
Like an architect designing plans for a building, you need to sit down with a blank sheet of paper and design a plan for your quest. There are five steps you can take to accomplish your Quests.
You can easily remember these five steps by using the mnemonic device: Do Very Great Acts Today.
D – Dreams
Make a list of things you want to accomplish in your life. This list would be a picture of your “perfect life” based on the first BIG question, If my life were absolutely perfect, how would it look?
Ask yourself the question, “What would I do with my life with unlimited time, talent, and money?” then write down your answers as they come to you. Order is not important. Have fun. Don’t allow yourself to be restricted. Don’t talk yourself out of things. This is time to think and dream freely.
V – Values
What relationships, beliefs, concepts, and feelings are most important to you? Write everything that comes to mind then prioritize them as much as possible.
G – Goals
Your goals list consists of specific results you want to accomplish during the next twelve months that will help you accomplish items on your Dreams List. You may want to create a second list of goals with a five year plan.
A – Action Steps
For each Goal, write down steps that must be completed in order to accomplish the goal.
T – To-Do List
This list is a more detailed look at your Action Steps. The To-Do List is a monthly, weekly, or even daily breakdown of things you can do each day toward accomplishing your Dreams.
Your To-Do List is a breakdown of every bite you’ll need to take in order to “eat the elephant.”
Need an Example?
Here’s how this five step process might look:
Suppose your Dream is to write the next great American novel. You’ve determined that your Values include things like relationships with God and family. Your values will determine how you invest your time and energy into writing your novel. For example, just because writing a novel is your dream it will not give you the right to exclude those people or things you value most.
Next, you will determine a few Goals regarding your future best-seller. For example, you want to have the first draft of your novel complete in 90 days and the second draft completed in 150 days. You also want to acquire a literary agent to represent your book to publishers.
An Action Step for each of the Goals above would be: 1) to write 1000 words a day for 90 days, 2) Research the process for finding an agent.
Finally, your To-Do List for week one of this process might look like this:
1. Begin waking up at 5 AM and dedicate 90 minutes to writing my book.
2. Go to the bookstore and buy The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Getting Published.
3. Read one chapter of Idiot’s Guide every night until complete.
This may seem complicated at first but it really doesn’t have to be that hard. Some people will be more detailed than others. Make this process work for you. Remember, it’s all about eating the elephant – one bite at a time.
If you want to read more, download the FREE eBook Two Big Questions, One Amazing Life.
