In 1988, Nike launched a successful campaign with three little words we’re all probably familiar with: Just Do It. Although meant to motivate people to achieve greatness in the physical fitness realm, that slogan can be applied to all of life, specifically to dreams and goals.
As we’re not really up for a legal battle with Nike, we’ve come up with our own motto: “just go for it”—it being whatever dream, goal, or passion is keeping you up at night.
Easier said than done, though, right?
Maybe you have a dream or goal you can’t get out of your head. You want to create a business, write a book, travel full-time, build a house—the list could go on. And you know it’s not just a fanciful, fleeting thought because it’s taken over your entire life.
Our “just go for it” dream was to travel full-time, specifically on a sailboat. Every day for two years straight, that’s all we talked about. It was our first thought waking up and the last thought before we fell asleep. We spent all our spare time researching and learning everything we could about boats and sailing.
Well, at the time of writing this, we’re weeks away from setting sail for the Caribbean. So how did we get here? And how do you know when it’s time to take the leap?
In this post, we’re dissecting the process along with the eight things we did to turn an all-consuming dream into flesh-and-bones reality. We hope this will encourage you to take your own leap of faith and just go for it.
- Accept that it’s never the right time
The sooner you take this on board, the better: it’s never going to be the right time. Whatever your dream is, you will be the best expert—like the leader-in-your-field expert—at coming up with excuses. But the nature of risk is that it’s risky.
Think about it: what’s your best excuse right now? Not enough time? Not enough money? As soon as you accept that it will never be the right time to start the business/have the kids/buy the house/make the investment, the closer you’ll be to taking the right steps toward those goals. The key is to acknowledge it may be hard, and then set the excuses aside.
- Make a list of goals
This might be the easiest part of the whole process because you can’t get these dreams out of your head. Well, get them out of your head and down onto paper. Seeing your goals in list format will not only help you feel more organized, but it’ll give you a sense of the bigger picture.
Our goal was to create a business. Beneath that goal, we wrote step-by-step sub-goals which would help us get there.
- Figure out your why
If writing down your goals helped you see the what, now it’s time to figure out your why. Why do you want to create that business, buy that boat, or launch that career? Keep your why front and center and it will motivate you when the going gets tough.
For us, we wanted to create a business because we wanted to travel, to see the world, to have adventures. We also wanted to document our travels and tell the stories of the places we discover and the people we meet. But because that most likely wouldn’t make money immediately, we needed a practical way to make that happen.
Once you have your what and why, it’s time to ask, how do we go about it?
- Work out the how
This isn’t always the case, but working out the how often involves figuring out the financial side. We wanted to travel, but we needed an income stream. So we looked at ways we could support ourselves once we quit our jobs.
Emily started a content creation business called Anchored in Media (hello, remote working!). We have an investment property. We also have other streams of income we have created to support this adventure.
- Get on a budget
Now for the sad news: unless you’re a billionaire, achieving your dream will most likely involve you making financial sacrifices.
Throughout our two years of planning we were very careful about what we spent, and that was a huge factor in our reaching our goals.
We can’t really sugar-coat this: you need to get on a budget, change your habits, and slow your spending. Remember what you’re saving for (keep your why front and center!), and it will motivate you to make those hard financial choices.
- Talk to your people
When a dream is all-consuming, by default it spills into every area of your life. You can’t stop talking about it, especially to friends and family. At one point we tried to stop telling people; if our plans fell through, we were afraid our loved ones would roll their eyes and peg us as the dreamers, not the doers. It’s a vulnerable place, talking about dreams. No one wants to be proven a failure.
Honestly, at times it was really hard. Our family thought we were throwing caution to the wind—until we sat down together and showed them the spreadsheets, talked about our research, how could live this lifestyle and make it sustainable. That’s the moment they got behind us. They could see we were taking this seriously, and that helped them take us seriously. It might not be what they ultimately desired for us, but they understood and respected our decisions.
It’s important to have your loved ones on your side, but you’ve got to talk to your people about your dream. Give everyone in your life the best chance at being on the same page. If it results in more support, it’s a win-win for all.
- Don’t talk to all of your people
It’s good to tell people about your plans, but you don’t have to tell everyone. Best worst case, some people might discourage you with their skepticism. Worst worse case, they throw cold water all over those tiny embers you’re trying to fan into flame, actively trying to dissuade you from going after what you want. It’s possible that, out of love, they’re scared you’re making a big mistake. Maybe sitting down with them for a heart-to-heart, as we mentioned above, will get them on board.
Don’t get us wrong: it’s important to have the right people in your corner, and you want to listen to others’ advice. Maybe they can see concerns you can’t see. But not everyone will be cheering you on, and you’ve got to discern who should be entrusted with your plans—and who should be left blissfully in the dark.
- Take a running leap…and jump
Yes, “just go for it” is easier said than done. But there’s a reason Nike’s slogan has stayed the same for thirty years. No matter how well you do with the preparation and research and planning, there always comes a point of no return. Eventually, you have to actually sign the contract, pay the money, send the resignation letter.
We had a couple of those moments, too. One minute we were employed, and the next we weren’t. We clicked complete your order when we bought plane tickets to Houston to go see our future boat. We made that phone call to the realtor, hammered the For Sale sign into our front yard. We signed the contract on our dream catamaran.
We jumped.
And even though some of those freefall moments have felt terrifying, we’ve landed in a reality that, previously, we only ever saw in our dreams.
It really is possible.
***
Our dream may be to travel full-time, but it’s also to inspire others to go after their dreams, too.
So, where are you at? Do you have the smallest spark of a dream you’ve only just begun to think about, or are you years deep in the process? We would love to hear your story or answer any questions about our own experience. Get in touch!
