Review
Today we are going to stop and review. As with most things you do in life, it's prudent to ensure what you are doing is working or if you need to change course.
We have covered a lot of information in the 13 previous posts, so it seems prudent to stop and summarize. If you were to take this course in person or virtually, this would be the end of session two, so for this post, we’ll look at the previous 13 posts which equal two sessions of the course. The reason I’m doing this at this point is that if you have been following these weekly posts, or more importantly if you joined sometime later, this is a good point to pause and refresh our memory of where we have been. Keep reading to learn why a review is important. I have about 15 points that summarize the past 13 weeks and I’ll comment after each one. Wow, we’ve covered a lot of territory! Let’s dig in!
Dreams are intangible, and goals are tangible. It takes action to achieve dreams. A dream is just a dream that will never be realized. To realize our dreams, we must break down our dreams into goals that have tangible action items with timelines. Once all the goals are completed in the allotted time, the dream can be realized.
Be sure to take time to be still, ponder, and reflect on what you learn. These actions are key steps in achieving and should not be overlooked or rushed. I love the smell of freshly ground coffee beans, but it’s not until the coffee is brewed that the true flavor comes out. And so it is when you learn new things. Take time to let the new ideas sink in, and perhaps pray a bit about them. I have a personal policy of never making a big decision without sleeping on it. It’s amazing how a complicated idea becomes simple, an impossible problem is solved, or a better way is discovered when you take the time to ponder and reflect on what you have learned.
Achieving dreams and goals is hard work. As you think about your dreams and why you want to set goals to achieve them, ask yourself what your motivation is for achieving them. You will need to know the answer to this question to ensure you have the inspiration to keep going when the going gets tough. Please, please don’t say you have dreams for a lot of money. If that is your motivation, then I have not done my job, and I will be disappointed. I say often that my purpose for establishing Afterburner Success Partners and spending time developing all the material is to make you wealthy, not rich. You do know the difference, don’t you?
What do you want your legacy to be? I think the simplest way to express this question is with a question (yes, I know we are not supposed to do that). Here it is: How do you want your children to remember you? Our lives are but a moment in time. A fortunate few have been able to leave a legacy of good. A few unfortunate few have left a legacy of bad. As I get older, this question becomes more important to me. As I see family and friends reach the winter season of life, some of them have regrets that could have been prevented had they thought of this question earlier in their lives.
Everyone’s definition of success is different. One of my inspirations for establishing Afterburner Success Partners and developing the material that goes with it is to help others define and achieve success, as they define it. So often we envision success as a few popular or famous people such as politicians, corporate executives, entrepreneurs, or Hollywood types. This is so wrong and so many good people who have made valuable contributions to their families and communities are successful far beyond the popular image most of us have of a successful person. We’ll formally define success later (hint: take the course to get this answer faster!) but let me just tell you that success for everyone is different and success often looks a lot different than what the popular culture would have you believe.
Networking is important to help you achieve success. How are your networking skills? This is a very important question in your personal and professional success. Ponder that for a bit and be sure you are happy with the answer.
So much to learn. Besides teaching you about the learning process, and how to establish and achieve dreams and goals, the purpose of the course, and this series of posts, is to help you establish financial, professional, and personal goals. So you can achieve your dreams and live your best life. But you already know that, don’t you?
The importance of taking notes. We learned about the importance of taking handwritten notes and how to use them to help you learn and retain important information.
Important concepts in human learning. We learned how people learn in threes, the value of repetition, the importance of stories, pondering, quiet time, and reflection.
The value of questions. We learned how asking questions can aid in learning. Two little sayings come to mind: “You can’t learn anything if you are talking”, and “God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason.”
While I can teach you, only you can learn. There is an old Buddhist saying that goes like this, “When the student is ready, the teacher will come.” All of us remember sitting in various classes in school growing up where we had no interest in the subject and consequently, we never learned a thing. I trust that as an adult you are now self-motivated to learn all you can about achieving your dreams.
What the course is and is not. There are limits to what you can learn in a blog post. The course is available in book form. You can learn more from an online course. You can learn even more from a virtual course. Finally, the best learning method is in person with a group of friends or other associates of yours. Decide which format is best for you and just jump in!
The important difference between dreams and goals. This is a foundational concept. Repeat after me “A dream is a goal with a plan to achieve it.” Now say that 10 times in a row. Do it again tomorrow.
There are traits that successful people possess. Remember I mentioned to you that not a lot of the material I present to you will be new, just repackaged in a meaningful way? You don’t need to develop new strategies to be successful, just copy the ones others before you used. This is why I reference so many books and other materials to make the point.
What do you hope to gain from this course when you are finished? What is your motivation to complete the course, read these posts, or otherwise improve yourselves? It’s my sincere dream you are doing it so you can be wealthy, so you can help others. Who can help others. Remember, a rising tide lifts all boats.
What’s in it for Me
Each post contains a section entitled “What’s in it for me.” Be sure to go to the home page of the website to review any of the past blogs.
Call to Action
Be sure you are signed up to continue to receive these posts. Refer them to your friends. Most importantly sign up to take the course in any of the various formats that work best for you.
Recommended Resources
Each post contains suggested resource material or links to information that will be helpful to you. See all previous posts on the website.
Up Next
What is your personality type? What skills do you possess?
Notes
None for this post.