It can't be that easy ...

Well, no, the path to success is never completely smooth. You will often encounter roadblocks, disappointments, or plans that you make simply won't work.

But sometimes you can't even come up with a plan. You know what you want to do, but you can't figure out how to get there. It seems so far removed from where you are now, and you might even get a little depressed thinking about it.

That's when you call on your friends.

You'll be amazed how people will want to help you when you tell them you have a dream, it's really important to you, and you'd like them to be involved.

Here's an example:
Suppose you have a dream to hike the entire Appalachian trail. Maybe it's something you've thought about since you were a teenager, but every time you brought it up to friends or family, they thought you were crazy and so you dropped it.

So, here's how you do it: "Thanks for coming over, guys. I'm planning to hike the Appalachian Trail end to end, I'd like to do it in the summer of 2009, but I need some help with a few logistical problems, and I naturally knew that you smart people would be able to find the solutions." You then lay out the various tactical problems you've identified--you have no experience with serious hiking, you're out of shape, you don't have the cash for the quality hiking/camping gear you'll need, you can't get the time off from your job, you'll need someone to care for your dog while you're away, and you need a hiking buddy, preferably someone with knowledge and experience, to accompany you.

You will be bombarded with suggestions. Someone might have some old camping gear in their attic you can use for free; someone else might have a cousin who has actually hiked the Trail and loves to talk about it and show his slides; a third person might know of a local Sierra Club chapter that sponsors weekend hikes; yet another person might have a great guidebook on the Appalachian Trail. In fact, if you act excited enough and passionate enough about your plan, you might get someone else so excited about it that they volunteer on the spot to make the trip with you.

People love to be part of a grand scheme. People love a winner, and when you have a dream and a goal and you're making plans, you're a winner.

Thanks to Barbara Sher and her book Wishcraft, from which I have absorbed these ideas and co-opted them for you. (I've read the book twenty times at least!)

Admiringly,
Kara