Take stock of all your dreams, ever

Create an inventory of all your dreams. Yes all of them. All the dreams you’ve ever had since you had the tax-free talent to dream. If such sounds like a life’s impossible project as all those dreams, then list all of those dreams and goals which first come to mind as the most prominent and important. Why take stock of all your dreams? I believe that in them, there lies a majority part of the DNA of who you really are. The lost map to follow. The person that you still are dying silently inside to become – but you’re always falling short because you’re busy being busy living (at least I’m). Living to do what, I asked myself four hours ago, if not toiling to achieve those deep sitted dreams.

Last night. In fact, these early hours of the morning at 1.30am I felt tempted to re-read one of the most compelling books I ever laid my paws on – but overwhelming slumber forbade me. And now the hour is just 5am and here I sit in the same study burning to get better at my life by adhering to my brand new morning ritual of ‘up at 4.45am, start writing at 5am’ what matters most to you and which you should attempt to live out the day ahead.

This book, the only book to date I read uninterrupted from cover to cover (yes it’s not a tome, but extremely punchy and significant than most large works).

The Greatest Salesmen in the World by Og Mandino, speaks of us not as mere mortals. But kings and queens – within – in our own unique way. That we’re cut from a perfect cloth of the spirit of achievement and not destined for mediocrity as sheep are. But the condition is one to realize such dreams: that we chase them with brutality take failure as a signpost that we’re nearest to the loot. “My dreams are worthless, my plans are dust, my goals are impossible. All are of no value unless they are followed by action. I will act now,” it proclaims.

Now, isn’t it that we’re deeply wounded by the lack of action towards our dreams than anything else? For me, that is. But yet we keep creating for ourselves more dreams and goals and less action. And we never take stock of the old dreams. In those dreams lies the person that we truly die to be (although we’re not toiling towards that). And with all stock in order. The long list complete, then action must follow – action of the outmost and unapologetic brutality.

For me, with the inventory of my dreams, the complete list of all my dreams ever (to the best of my knowledge) I will start from the smallest one at the bottom and climb up towards the beginning of the list to the biggest most challenging dreams, achieving them, as the ancient scrolls in Mandino’s book suggests: One at a time – and with the confidence gained from the previous smaller achievements, I will see that it’s all not impossible and I’ll prepare to GOB!G on the number one dream.

My GOB!G list of all those dreams (edited and in no order) - an example

• Write my debut novel – (Kopano Matlwa did it) starting next month
• Meet Nelson Mandela in a private conversation – within next six months
  Prepare my women’s magazine business plan – finish before end August (in time for the FNB business plan competition for a whopping R20mil)
• Do what I always wanted to do for my father (gratitude gesture) – by end of the week
• Launch my two venerable projects at work – next 30 days
• Forgive those who hurt me the most – next three months
• Visit Zimbabwe, the land of my grandfather – by end August
• Design a personal discipline ritual/cult list – by end of the week (the 4.45am and 5am writing time is already perfectly in act)
• Travel far and wide – initiate by mid-2008 (a tour of Europe is already in the works with university contacts and friends out there)
• Spend quality time with the family – starting yesterday (the wife hasn’t complained yet. Just stepping up the benchmark)

The list continues… (just a taste of my stock list). Here's a trick: Try and sell all those dreams to yourself and see if you buy any of them. Then separate those that you believe from those that are just air. Then take immediate action on the ones you believe. Be your own salesman and try and convince yourself to buy those dreams.

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"Judge of a man by his questions, rather than by his answers." - Voltaire