3 investments for turning dreams into reality
One morning I woke up with a great idea! I knew it could make me millions. All I had to do was to make it reality. I was excited. I started thinking more and more about it. It permeated my thoughts and pushed its way into everything I was doing. However, as the day progressed I found my enthusiasm wearing off. By evening I had forgotten I had that great idea that would change the world!
I trust this is a common experience with many of us. We are dreamers looking for the strategy to turn it into reality. Here is a simple tool to do just that. All you have to do is to make 3 investments into your idea.
The First Investment: Thought-
The first investment is in the form of thought. When we invest thought in an idea it starts getting shape.
Ajay wants to become an entrepreneur. He has an idea which is unique and viable. He starts visualizing the effort. It requires thinking in 3 levels:
The Second Investment: Emotions:
The next step is to invest emotions. This investment creates Motivation. When we invest emotions the idea becomes 'our' idea. We identify with it. It resonates with our feelings, our principles/ethics and our personality. Our emotions create the motion (e-motion), the momentum that is required to bring ideas into reality. We need to take ownership, get on a roll, start moving. When Momentum is added, we have Drive.
Ajay has already a set of tasks (a project plan) ready. Now, he becomes excited by the way in which his idea is going to add value to society. He is motivated. He starts pushing himself to get going. He adds the tasks to his calendar and starts working on them one task at a time, all the time remembering the intention to add value.
The Third Investment: Focus
Many of us with Drive do not know how to channelize that energy. Consequently, we spread ourselves thin in all directions. The moment we narrow our attention and bring the Drive to bear on our goal, we are in the business of execution. That is when things start materializing. We actually bring that intention to life!
Ajay is careful to ensure that he is not distracted from the task at hand. By narrowing his attention he is able to achieve his goal for the day. Day by day he moves closer to his goal of contributing in a big way to creating value for society.
Idea + Thought + Emotion + Focus = Manifestation
The figure alongside depicts the investment of thought (broad idea to specific), emotion (specific principles based upon our personality and feelings- narrowing towards the goal) and finally executing with sharp focus (the pin point vertex). It also shows the (top-down) sequence in which the intention manifests into reality in the most efficient manner. If we do not follow the sequence, we lose time in going back and forth. This sequence also corresponds to the Plan-Do-Check-Act process.
We could also argue that we may first be excited about a certain idea and then really start thinking about it in detail. So how would the above sequence be true? My own experience mentioned above provides the answer. The initial excitement quickly dies down as soon as we start thinking of the specifics. This is the major reason our dreams remain just dreams. Rationalization kills emotion! It is after the thinking that we really need to get excited and build momentum. Only then the idea can become a reality.
How do we turn our dreams into reality? Just invest 3 things in them in this order: Thought, Emotion, and Focus!
One morning I woke up with a great idea! I knew it could make me millions. All I had to do was to make it reality. I was excited. I started thinking more and more about it. It permeated my thoughts and pushed its way into everything I was doing. However, as the day progressed I found my enthusiasm wearing off. By evening I had forgotten I had that great idea that would change the world!
I trust this is a common experience with many of us. We are dreamers looking for the strategy to turn it into reality. Here is a simple tool to do just that. All you have to do is to make 3 investments into your idea.
The First Investment: Thought-
The first investment is in the form of thought. When we invest thought in an idea it starts getting shape.
Ajay wants to become an entrepreneur. He has an idea which is unique and viable. He starts visualizing the effort. It requires thinking in 3 levels:
- the paradigm (general),
- the principles (particular) and
- the practices (detail).
The Second Investment: Emotions:
The next step is to invest emotions. This investment creates Motivation. When we invest emotions the idea becomes 'our' idea. We identify with it. It resonates with our feelings, our principles/ethics and our personality. Our emotions create the motion (e-motion), the momentum that is required to bring ideas into reality. We need to take ownership, get on a roll, start moving. When Momentum is added, we have Drive.
Ajay has already a set of tasks (a project plan) ready. Now, he becomes excited by the way in which his idea is going to add value to society. He is motivated. He starts pushing himself to get going. He adds the tasks to his calendar and starts working on them one task at a time, all the time remembering the intention to add value.
The Third Investment: Focus
Many of us with Drive do not know how to channelize that energy. Consequently, we spread ourselves thin in all directions. The moment we narrow our attention and bring the Drive to bear on our goal, we are in the business of execution. That is when things start materializing. We actually bring that intention to life!
Ajay is careful to ensure that he is not distracted from the task at hand. By narrowing his attention he is able to achieve his goal for the day. Day by day he moves closer to his goal of contributing in a big way to creating value for society.
Idea + Thought + Emotion + Focus = Manifestation
The figure alongside depicts the investment of thought (broad idea to specific), emotion (specific principles based upon our personality and feelings- narrowing towards the goal) and finally executing with sharp focus (the pin point vertex). It also shows the (top-down) sequence in which the intention manifests into reality in the most efficient manner. If we do not follow the sequence, we lose time in going back and forth. This sequence also corresponds to the Plan-Do-Check-Act process.
We could also argue that we may first be excited about a certain idea and then really start thinking about it in detail. So how would the above sequence be true? My own experience mentioned above provides the answer. The initial excitement quickly dies down as soon as we start thinking of the specifics. This is the major reason our dreams remain just dreams. Rationalization kills emotion! It is after the thinking that we really need to get excited and build momentum. Only then the idea can become a reality.
How do we turn our dreams into reality? Just invest 3 things in them in this order: Thought, Emotion, and Focus!
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