Overwhelmed with Dreamlining

[martinmartin77]

From the Thread Title, you have probably guessed that I'm having a bit of trouble creating my Dreamline. The problem I'm having stems from not having a good feel for the types of things I should start off with in the "Having", "Being", and "Doing" sections--particularly in relation to the idea of having the 2 timelines.

If the idea of the Dreamline is to dream (BIG), then why the 2 timelines? Hasn't a major point of the book (at least to this section) been to not limit yourself to what's "realistic"? Wouldn't the point of having a timeline that's further out be that it enables you to prioritize what's practical for the near future vs down the road? (Could it be that the 2nd timeline is overflow space in case you come up with more than 5??)

In addition to not being able to wrap my mind around the scope of the initial steps of the task, I'm also a bit caught up in respect to what types of things to put down.

For example, initially, I wrote down under "Having":
--no debt.
Then I thought:
-is having no debt really what I'd like to HAVE? or is that an enabler to allow me the freedom to get/achieve what I really want?
-if I leave it off, how do I factor it into my TMI?
-if I leave it on, how do I factor it into my TMI?...and, if I'm thinking BIG, then shouldn't I say "Have a lot of money/$1,000,000 in my bank account"?

Also, I wrote down under HAVING:
--a nice piece of artwork.
Then I thought:
-do I really want a nice piece of artwork if I still have debt/don't have a place to put it? (I'd much rather have a nice painting that I can move somewhere, than a house that I'd have to decide what city it's in...)

It seems to me that, on some level, in creating our Dreamlines we should be realistic--but, if we are, then how do we know if we're selling ourselves short or not?

I have no doubt that my tendency to overanalyize is playing a major role in my paralysis in creating my Dreamline. Putting down the book because I can't predict what role the output of this exercise will play would be a shame--particularly since so many of the themes in the book strike a chord with me. Any advice on this (other than "stop over-thinking this and put down what first comes to mind"--it's too late for that...) would be appreciated!
Should I just keep reading the book without having done the excercise? Has anyone been able to get past similar stumps? Anybody care to share examples other than what's in the book?

Thank you in advance, Martin

[Drewkerr]

I would say you are def. over analyizing. Relax and breath. Relax and breath.

I started by dreamline with what excites me and makes me happy. I equate it to more as what do I want to do, go and see before i die. Here are a couple things I am planning in the next 6 to 8 months. Skydiving, spending more time at the beach this summer and a long vacation overseas. I am going sky diving for my birthday in June, that is an easy one; after putting Tims ideas and techniques into place i have reduced my hours at work and applied for a rewards credit card to make it easier for me to spend time at the beach; then the last time i went to europe i spent $8000 for a 14 day tour, so this time I am going to rent an apartment for two months and spend a 1/4 of the money and be able to take int he culture more.

As far as debt free, a million in the bank. I felt the same way you did. I have very little debt, about $2,000 which I am paying down. As far as money in the bank, that is for security and peace of mind. If I have my muse or job with a remote work ability and only have to work a few hours a week, i have a stream of income, so technically you don't have to have millions in the bank to live a good lifestlye. I still save for emergencies and "retirement per say". As long as I have some sort of passive income/muse then you don't need that million or whatever the number is in the bank.


Hope this helps some!

[dmabury]

Martin, I'm in the same boat as you. I've been stalled for a couple of weeks on the dreamlining exercise. The instructions could be clearer, but that's not the major problem for me -- it's my usual fear and perfectionism getting in the way. I decided to get around the roadblock in three steps:


Fill out as much of the 6- and 12-month dreamlines as I can in one hour tomorrow, and not worry about any blanks or unclear items.

Continue through the book.

Return to the dreamlines and revise/complete them, assisted by the new ideas and information I'll glean from the rest of the book.

Here's what I have so far:

Six-month dreamline:
Having

Book contract
New wardrobe
Personal assistant

Being

An excellent singer ('doing' step: an audition with an acquaintance in the live-music business)
Fluent in Spanish (doing: brief conversation with native speaker here in town)
Healthy and fit (haven't found a good 'doing' benchmark for this. Suggestions?)

Doing

Get my rental property in shape and sell it
Meditate daily
Take a trip to Europe

12-month dreamline:
Having

Infiniti M-35
New home
Furniture and goodies for new home

Being

A published author (doing: waving my published book in the air and dancing like an idiot.)

Doing

Month or more of travel in Europe
Extended stay in New York

Those are my dreamlines so far, Martin. What do you have? What do other folks have?

[read]

I agree. At first, I had a hard time putting a dreamline together. I found myself putting superficial things on the list -- things that I think I'm supposed to want, like a house, a lawn, a fancy car.

As I kept reading the book, though, my dreamline shifted. Slowly the picture of what Tim was talking about became more clear to me, and I could begin imagining what my life could be like, if I wasn't at my desk, working from 5am to 11pm.

At any rate, the more of the book I read, the more clear my vision/dreamline became. At that point, the timeline in the book became irrelevant. My job and my own circumstances dictated my own liberation/dreamline timeline, and what I really wanted (not what I was supposed to want) started coming into focus.

So I agree. Write some things down, but don't worry too much about what they are. My guess is you'll want to come back later, when you've gotten the full picture.

[captaink]

Healthy and fit (haven't found a good 'doing' benchmark for this. Suggestions?)

a few doing suggestions:

- going to the gym
- reading a fitness manual
- biking 5miles

captaink

[martinmartin77]

Hey, guys,

Thanks for taking the time to read my concerns and post to the thread.

read, thank you for sharing your experience. I think I'm going to keep moving with the book... more likely than not, I'll end up re-reading it anyway. I can always go back and do the exercise when I feel like I've got a better grasp of the process.

dmabury, as far as healthy & fit and finding a good 'doing' benchmark here's a suggestion:
- researched/found/following fitness program I feel is sustainable.

(I have to say I tried a number of 'diets' and had several phases of going to the gym for months on end in my 20s, but it wasn't until I found a program that addressed both fitness and nutrition that I got it right...it's amazing how wonderful I feel now that I understand more about what I'm fueling my body with!)

Thanks, again, everyone! Martin^2

[Wooderson316]

As for a "doing" related to fitness, go back to Drucker's phrase "what gets measured gets managed." Ad to it something that has a direct impact on your fitness.

- Going to the gym works - but how much and how often?
- Reading about fitness? That no more makes you fit that reading 4HWW gives you a 4HWW
- Biking x miles? Awesome, but how often?

Like many things, succes here is about focusing on activity that leads to results rather than focusing on results. It is analogous to how a muse is about finding a need and filling it rather than looking at your TMI and worrying about what product you will sell. It will also be helpful to define and flesh out the behavior.

For example: Go to the gym 3x per week, do 45 of cardio, 15 min of circuit training
or: Go 3x per week, do 12min of HIIT, 30 min resistance on bis/back|chest/tris|shoulders/legs

Good luck! Remember, 80% of your results come from just showing up.

[lindalein]

hi everyone,

what an eye opener this book is. i am almost half way through. i had to put it down and pick up a journal and just write down all the thoughts i was having of things i would really like to do. some of them include publishing a book, and recording an album.

i find that it is so hard to discover what you want when most people are so caught up in the day to day activities. right now i am focused on how me and my husband will get our real estate investing business off the ground. that is the vehicle we have chosen to allow us to realize many of those dreams. i have been to many seminars costing thousands of dollars and read many books and i am just noticing how important that mind set is. you have to conceive it and see it for yourself. any thoughts.

linda

[Seascape]

Greetings From Atlantic City! This is my first post. As a worthwhile supplement to Tim's book, I highly recommend "SUPERSELF Doubling Your Personal Effectiveness", by Charles J. Givens. Chapters 4: Developing Your Blueprint; 5: Discovering Your Dreams; and 6: Generating Goals, provide a detailed way to generate dreams (the big picture), set goals to achieve the dreams, and then to break the goals down into a series of small, easily implemented steps. I've followed this system myself for several years and it works very well. I hope this helps.

[Seascape]

Greetings From Atlantic City! This is my first post. As a worthwhile supplement to Tim's book, I highly recommend "SUPERSELF Doubling Your Personal Effectiveness", by Charles J. Givens. Chapters 4: Developing Your Blueprint; 5: Discovering Your Dreams; and 6: Generating Goals, provide a detailed way to decide on your dreams (the big picture), set goals to achieve the dreams, and then to break the goals down into a series of small, easily implemented steps. I've followed this system myself for several years and it works very well. Very Best Wishes on your future endeavors.

[Seascape]

Sorry for the double post. When I hit the submit key the first time, the system told me to log in and submit again.

[Kumar]

Hello from India! I have just completed the D (of DEAL) portion of the book. I too am finding it difficult to complete my dreamlining worksheet. I have read all the posts in this thread but still feel how Tim instructs filling the dreamline is a bit paradoxical. He asks us not to limit ourselves and not be concerned with how things (in the dreamline) would be accomplished. Now coupled with a deadline, how can I not be practical about what can be achieved in the next 6 months? Is there something in the following chapters which kind of makes it clear?

My dreamlining sheet(with a 6 month deadline) looks something like this:

Having:

A Sedan
A Big house to accomodate would-be family (wife, kids)
A top of the line La-Z-boy recliner for my parents (it costs a bomb in India :()
Enjoying all the luxuries which come with money without actually having so much of it (money, that is)

Being:

In a peak physical state (doing: total body workout 3 times a week)
Fluent in a foreign language (doing: initially going thru Tim's "learn a language in 3 months")

Doing:

A world trip

I am sure I will change/add on to these dreams as I go further in the book.

About myself: I am 29, currently looking for a job (to make some money so that I can start something of my own), have 5 yrs exp in the outsourcing industry (yeah...the famed Indian outsourcing guy!), bored of it all. Want some excitement in life.

Kudos to everyone here for believing in your dreams and trying to achieve them!

Sincerely,
Kumar

[Ironwulfsbane]

It sounds like you're just thinking about it way too much. One thing the book emphasizes over and over again is to figure out where you want to end up, then take steps towards making it happen.

Build your castles in the sky, then start by building the foundations on the ground. As soon as you finish your first plan, do another, and Another, and ANOTHER. They're meant to help you simplify the process, so don't feel like there's a wrong way to fill them out. These are your tools to help you, so use them in any way you can imagine. The whole principle of the 4 Hour Work Week is pretty unconventional, so don't be afraid to be unconventional when testing it's theories. You'll see the most success from trying the zaniest things. It's SO much fun.

[JFrenzel]

In life you should be concerned with your outcome. The rest will follow, you have to have a deep faith in that you will achieve all the things that you have set out to do.


Cheers
Jose

[Kumar]

Thanks guys, its clearer to me now after going thru your comments and re-reading the chapter.

I think I'll just get a job first and then move onto the critical first steps in the 'NOW' column, so that I have some income to start with. But I don't want to back to the corporate life (more so in the outsourcing industry) as it will again entail doing 10 hr. night shifts with no chance of working smartly and going home early (the call centers are always flooded with calls/back end work). How is E-Lance? I am thinking of doing some freelancing as a 'provider' there, which will give me more personal time and if things go well, provide me more money than an outsourcing 9-5 (in the night :D) job.

Your thoughts?

Sincerely,
Kumar