Is it really necessary to 'love your work' as some say, or can you achieve the success you desire without the hype? The answer to this question has absolutely nothing to do with 'love' and everything to do with dreams! Let's explore.

DREAM CIRCLES
Take out a sheet of paper. Draw a large circle (about 4 inches in diameter) on the left side. Now draw a small circle (about 1/2 inch in diameter) on the right side.

Do you remember back when you first graduated from high school, or college, or when you first got married? Remember the promises? Remember the dreams? Remember how you promised your spouse or yourself the world on a platter? Remember the 'big house' the 'expensive car' or the 'vacation every month'? Write the word 'DREAMS' in the big circle.

REALITY SETS IN
Do you remember when you received your first 'real' paycheck? Remember the shock at what was taken out for taxes, social security, pension plan, health care, and all the other deductions? Write the word 'PAY' in the small circle.

Do you remember what happened next? It's been a long time, but here's what probably happened. Your income wasn't up to the size of the dreams you had, so you compromised a bit. "I'll get that big car later, right now I just need dependable transportation." Or you said to yourself or significant other, "Maybe we won't have that super big 15,000 square foot dream house, but we don't really need much more than a two bedroom home anyway. What would we do with all that space anyhow?" The dream shrunk a little. Take out your pencil and make your DREAM circle a little smaller.

MORE MONEY
Over the years, your pay increased. Make your PAY circle larger.

"But honey, why can't we afford a better car? We're making more money now, and..." "Yes, but braces cost a lot, and the car insurance went up, and food costs more, and have you looked at our child-care bill lately?" Make your DREAM circle smaller.

After a while, you notice something phenominal! Your DREAM circle and your PAY circle are the same size. You're in the RUT!!! Without something changing, you are stuck in this rut for life. But there is hope!!!

PLANNING FOR SUCCESS
Okay, you've heard it all before, in fact, you even bought a couple of books and have a planner that talks about planning for success, but try as you have, it just hasn't helped the bottom line get any bigger. With the increased cost of everything, your DREAM circle seems to get smaller and smaller each year even as your PAY circle increases. You're in a RUT!!! So what do you do? Here's the answer!

Decide where you want to be five years from now in each of the categories of spirituality, income, family relationships, education, recreation, and personal health and fitness. Put some real thought into this task. Consider interacting relationships such as 'maybe you can't get that next job without more education.' If you're married, you AND your spouse need to work on this document. If you truly want out of your RUT, do this right!

Now decide what you need to have accomplished AT THE END of each year from now until you reach your five-year goal. This means what it says, so ask yourself: "What do I need to have accomplished AT THE END of this year to make it possible to do 'that' next year and 'that' the next and so on till I reach my goal."

Now buy one of those big desk calendars and pencil-in at the top or bottom what needs to be done AT THE END of each month if you are going to reach your goal by the end of the year.

Look at the current month. If you are going to meet your monthly goal, what must be done every week? Ask yourself: "What should I be doing TODAY to make that happen?" Don't beat yourself up! The world doesn't revolve around you. If the real world gets in your way and you can't find 'wiggle' room, you may need to review your plan. I suggest you do this daily! You can use your desk calendar or a planner, but you must do it in writing.

Set-aside 15 minutes EVERY DAY, morning or evening, to review your plan. Start this by ACTUALLY READING your five-year goal, reminding yourself of why you're doing what you're doing. Next, look at the things you have accomplished, and give yorself a pat-on-the-back. Move the things that didn't get accomplished to tomorrow, and then select the top five tasks to be accomplished. Rank these in importance. If you get them all done, wonderful! If not, repeat the drill tomorrow.

WILL THIS WORK?
You are betting your future that it will!