Jolt! by Phil Cooke (whitelam books .TXT) 📕

eventually built Tuskegee into a major college campus with more than fifteen hundred students and a faculty of two hundred professors.

There was not one single thing in Booker T. Washington’s life that helped him except the power of a dream. Starting out, he had no money, no education, no training, no influence, and no future. He was just another slave among thousands, with no potential other than living out his life working in obscurity on a forgotten Southern farm.

But the power of his dream opened doors, filled him with motivation, and revealed his true promise. Millions of Americans have been directly touched or indirectly inspired by his story, and this nation is a better place because he never gave up on his dream.

If you feel that your situation is hopeless, just remember Booker T. Washington and start dreaming again.

How do you do that? The key is to realize that goals are born in dreams, and dreams are simply the great what-ifs of life.

What if . . .

I could run a marathon?

we could make our marriage work?

we reorganized the company?

I went back to college?

I could write a novel?

we could double our sales?

I could get that promotion?

I could find the right career?

I could change my future?

I could be a better leader?

I could make a difference?

Goals are all about “what if,” so begin thinking about the great what-ifs of your life. No limits, no lids. You’re not a beauty pageant contestant, so I’m not necessarily looking for “world peace” here—I’m looking for goals that you personally dream about.

In the next chapter, we’ll look at the keys for getting the right goals down on paper. A list will help clarify your life. For years you’ve thought about dreams and goals, but few people actually get them into a realistic list. This is the foundation for your life change because it will jolt you from dreaming to creating a map to your destination.

» JOLT #5

The Power of “What If?”

Expanding Your Vision

Growth means change and change involves risk, stepping from the known to the unknown.

—GEORGE SHIN, PROFESIONAL SPORTS FRANCHISE OWNER

The first stage of goal setting is the “blue sky” approach. Nothing is off-limits, out of bounds, or impossible—not one thing. This is your creative time, when you can dream about anything, and nothing is too strange or too crazy. Let yourself go, just as if you were that small child again, dreaming about what you’d be when you grew up.

I always encourage people to begin this way because as adults we get caught in too many hang-ups when it comes to our potential and possibilities. We put too many boundaries and restrictions on what we believe we can do. It’s something that happens because of a lot of issues, like our misplaced idea of maturity, our education, or our perception that adulthood is about reality, restraint, and responsibility.

But this is your time to dream again. I recommend you start by finding a place where the phone won’t ring, the TV is off, and the lure of e-mail or Facebook can’t tempt you. You don’t have to find a mountain cabin, but I do recommend you find a place that’s relaxing and will put you in a creative mood.

Next, get a journal, or at least a blank piece of paper, and jot down some of your thoughts. Remember, write anything that comes to mind—goals to achieve and changes you want to make. Is your dream to be a barber or beekeeper? Real estate agent? Movie star? Store manager? Better mom? Game-show host? Company vice president? Screenwriter? College graduate? Stronger leader? Devoted father?

From a corporate perspective, you might want to double your sales, increase the staff, become number one in the marketplace, or rethink your global strategy.

Write it down. What about becoming an Olympic athlete? Put it on the paper. Think of any goal that might come to mind. New house? New city? New wardrobe?

And don’t limit yourself to words. If drawing or even scribbling works better for you, then by all means do it. There are no rules or limitations here. Our purpose for the session is to get down your immediate thoughts, goals for your life, and areas you want to change. You don’t have to be terribly specific either. This is big-picture time, and I’m more interested in the first thoughts and ideas that come into your head.

This is an occasion to expand your vision and stretch the muscles of your imagination. Millions of people are trapped in a self-imposed prison. They believe they aren’t good enough, talented enough, or smart enough to accomplish much in life and are resigned to spending the rest of their days settling for second best. As a result, they limit their dreams and live within the borders of a second-class world.

» “DARE TO DREAM” IS AN OVERUSED PHRASE, BUT I ENCOURAGE YOU TO DO IT.

The only real limitations in your life are in your mind, so break those shackles and look for a farther horizon. Write it down and don’t let your past, other people’s opinions, or the limitations of your experience hold you back.

It’s important that you do this exercise a number of times. In fact, I recommend this become a regular creative workout. It will open up your thinking to new possibilities and force you to question all the old assumptions that have kept you from considering new options and choices.

I use this type of thinking in solving numerous problems and frustrations in my own life. Whether I have a challenge at work, in my family, or elsewhere, my first step is to look for solutions without any rules, restrictions, or boundaries. Forget reality for a moment and start thinking of potential options and choices out of the blue. Don’t worry about budget, time limits, schedule, or whatever has or hasn’t been done in the past.

Some of my students and clients consider this a waste of time. “But we have realistic budgets and time schedules,” they