Recently, daughter shouted this, “My dream job right now: Pedia ♥” in her Facebook account. My brother, who is a doctor, was the first one who commented encouraging her to pursue her dreams with a little warning for me, because everyone knows how expensive it is to send a child to college much more with a degree in medicine.
Honestly, it has always been my dream for one of my children to take up medicine, to go after the footsteps of my brother. I only have two, so the other one should be taking after their dad’s, who is an architect. Although I have voiced out this ambition of mine to my children, it is not in me to push them to do it. I always advise them to go after their dreams not mine or anyone else. No matter how expensive their studies will be, my husband and I have vowed to work hard and support them. I just tell them to simply focus on their goals and the Lord will provide.
Coming from a lower middle class family, I have seen how my mom has sacrificed so much in order for my brother to pursue his dreams of being a doctor. Now he has achieved his dreams and doing very well in his practice. Mind you, I have also seen how he had so much focus in reaching his goals… and that is I what I want to impart to my children.
I once heard this quote in one of the workshops I attended, it is a quote by Earl Nightingale, “People with goals succeed because they know where they’re going.” I have always believed in this. There’s always a time for everything but before you try to enjoy life, you should strive hard for it. Some people seem to think that if they lie in bed all day, blessing will come pouring in and when it does not, they start being bitter at the world. You can dream all you want but if you do not do anything about it, it will remain a wish. The world needs doers not dreamers.
For my daughter, dream big, set your goals! We will be here. I couldn’t wait to see you in one of those nursing scrubs that I have seen your Uncle wore during his residency. Set your heart and your mind to achieving your dreams and let the Lord bless your plans.
I have always believed in planning. From the simple things like the clothes I am going to wear the following day to the more complex part of my life such as the goals I want to achieve.
Masterplan yourself.
The first and most important step in setting your personal goals is to reflect on what you want to achieve in life — 10 years from now, what do you to become? Knowing your objective in life is the key and everything else will follow. These goals will give you a perspective of your future and if you are determined to reach these goals, the decisions that you will make each day will contribute in shaping your future.
Like an architect, it is easier to have a visual perspective of your plan in order give you a clearer picture of what you want to become. You can do this by doing a brain map or simply putting up photos of your goals. This visual representation will serve as an inspiration for you to persevere more to achieve your dreams just like a blue print.
Don’t be a skeptic but have a back up plan.
Even though you spend time to carefully plan your day, things do not always work the way you may have planned it. Don’t let this small set back ruin the “Big Picture”. Life is full of uncertainties, a back up plan will give you an advantage.
Planning compels you to focus more on your objectives, without it you won’t have a guide. Every night, before going to bed, I already plan my day. This makes it easier for me accomplish the activities I need to finish and when I am off track, I look back to my list and move on. Five to ten minutes of planning, saves my energy, my time and of course, fuel. That’s just on a daily basis. Planning a lifetime takes more than that but a daily habit of having a task list can be a good start.
Perhaps the most difficult to do is to plan for death, however we need to accept that everything will come to pass. Don’t think funeral planning as a morbid activity but more of an advantage. At least, when you’re gone, you know that your family and loved ones are not burdened. Even if it’s difficult, they know that you have thought of them.
So, start setting your goals, plan your future and visualize your masterplan.
