Often many of us have big dreams. But we don’t know how to achieve them. They seem…well, too big.
Big dreams are daunting. But—they aren’t unachievable.
One factor we often overlook is this.
Time.
Most of us have years, decades of life before us. That affords us the optionality to attempt this or that, try a side-hustle, begin pursuing that dream.
Combine that with another often overlooked component, and you’ll realize some of your biggest dreams.
You need to iterate.
See, starting and keeping a business isn’t about making big steps. No, you make small ones, especially in the beginning, repeatedly.
Doing one small task, achieving one small goal, taking one small step at a time, you inch closer to your dream. See, small steps over time achieve what can seem impossibly big. That’s why so many success stories seem to happen “overnight.” But they aren’t. Usually, they were started a decade ago, with someone willing to pursue their dream daily, until one day, their incredible dream is summoned into reality.
Just yesterday, I heard this podcast interviewing a famous investor. He started a newsletter in, I believe, the 1990s, when he wasn’t famous. And for the first decade no one responded to it. But he kept on sending it, into the silent dark, consistently anyway. Then, people started to respond to it. Now, Warren Buffett calls it one of his favorite reads.
Small things done over years, decades, build dreams. There’s no other way.
Initially, when I started my business, I dreamed I would achieve various goals. But it took me years to get there.
I started in 2008 with one client. Then I had to survive financially in 2009 with no income until I landed my largest website design and development project. Then I had to find the people to do the work and create the designs. I had to send invoices, manage expectations, find a business partner, manage cash flow, hire employees, etc. All of those small items were steps taken toward my dream. Each item took weeks and months to do. Before I knew it, in 2014, I had a full fledge agency with over a dozen employees and high-paying clients. Sure, it wasn’t the biggest dream a person could dream, and my dreams have changed since, but the process to realizing dreams is the same no matter how big they may be.
Look, big dreams are daunting. But doing the small things that start and continue the journey aren’t. It’s good to dream big, but you must remember to work small, day-by-day, month-by-month, year-by-year. And before you know it, as you lift your head up from the iterative work, you will have built something bigger thought you could build.
And those actions will compound.
Sure, at first you won’t see anything, but, eventually, it will become something that surprises you.
It will be your big dream, realized.
John Pa 