Be a DREAMER. Make your goals:
Defined — Be specific.
Relevant — Be passionate.
Ethical — Be kind.
Achievable — Be realistic.
Measurable — Be deliberate.
Then…
Evaluate. Be aware.
Reward. Be generous.
A resounding commonality among our clients is that they have big, beautiful dreams! Some even say they’ve been called a dreamer as an insult. How silly! Despite what many external forces teach us, dreaming is essential to our well-being and the betterment of our society. Your dreams can and will come true. They take work — hard and consistent work. That’s a wonderful fact that may feel a bit overwhelming at the jump because we’re often used to working hard without seeing it nourish our personal dreams in a worthwhile way. This gorgeous work will energize you. It will deplete and challenge you. It will help you grow. You’ll feel defeated, but ultimately impressed by your resilience. You must strive to be present and grateful as you enjoy this wild ride in pursuit of your dreams.
Inspired by myriad traditional goal-setting methods, we’ve added our signature Boundless vision to create the DREAMER Goal-Setting Ritual. This Ritual will help your craft a meaningful and actionable plan to reach your dream.
Defined
Be specific. Bringing clarity to your goals creates a solid foundation upon which you can build the infrastructure that supports your pursuit. You will be able to identify more connections and patterns, create smaller goals to build momentum, and ensure you’re staying on the right track. Consider using the 5 Ws — who, what, when, where, why — to help with defining your dream.
Relevant
The “why” of the 5 Ws above applies most significantly to this step. Your dream must be important to you and align with your passions and core values. Otherwise, you may struggle with finding motivation and inspiration, ultimately resulting in letting the dream die. Notice what experiences in your life have ignited a spark within you. When do you find yourself in a flow state? What are you naturally drawn to? What did you want to do when you were little?
Ethical
If you’ve spent any time with us here, you know we whole-heartedly believe in the interconnectedness of all things. We hope acknowledging and celebrating this fact will inspire you to craft goals that support the pursuit of equity, equality, and justice. If altruism isn’t an inherent facet of your dream, be sure to ask yourself questions along the way: Is my mission in opposition to the advancement of all people? Are my motivations good and right? Do my core values consider others? Do my methods uplift? How will my dream help others?
Achievable
Your dream must be realistic and resourced. As high achievers, we tend to focus on the most optimistic scenarios. We overestimate our productivity and motivation, while underestimating the time, effort, and resources it will take. Consider forgetting about your big dream if it overwhelms and paralyses you — instead focusing on one small thing you can accomplish each day. Be kind to yourself. Take into consideration your identity as a multi-faceted person with many interests and relationships to foster. Be sure to assess your current skillset and set attainable goals to avoid setting yourself up for failure. BUT! Remember: if you do fail in this pursuit, it is an opportunity to learn, grow, and dream with more information.
Measurable
Incorporate milestones so you can track your progress. Implement thoughtfully-curated habits and routines into your schedule that support your dream. Make lists. Write down to-dos and ideas. With these tools, you can easily reflect back on the progress you have made toward your dream. Revel in your movement and celebrate all victories no matter how small. Even a perceived step backward is a step in the right direction because everything is progress. Note your wins and your losses, acknowledging the lessons in each.
NOTE: In traditional goal-setting practices, this is also where you would add quantifiable, time-bound parameters. At Boundless, we hope you’ll focus less on numerical goals and more on feeling balanced and purposeful. We see the value in creating deadlines, but wish for them to be used more as a guide than a sword to fall upon should they not be met. This is also where you ask yourself: how will I know when I achieved my goal? We don’t think that’s quite right either, because in this process you remain fluid and adjust your dream as necessary. The pursuit of your dream is as much an accomplishment as reaching your end goal.
Evaluate
Stay flexible and open to revision. If you find that the smaller steps you identified don’t resonate with you, it may be an indication that you need to reassess your dream. Ask yourself exploratory questions to foster awareness. Has my daily to-do list felt oppressive instead of inspiring? What’s not working? What do I need to learn? Are my habits supporting my dream? Mindfulness helps guarantee you’re in touch with your intuition and will help guide you to your ideal path. Having to change can be a strength, not a weakness.
Reward
You’re doing good, hard work. At each milestone, be sure to create a reward for yourself. You’ve earned and deserve a treat! You know best what that will look like. Perhaps it’s a literal treat — a special, decadent meal. Maybe you’ll binge-watch some TV. Buy yourself a record. Take a trip. We recommend, on a daily basis, you take time to show yourself gratitude for the work you do. Even — and perhaps especially — on those days where you feel you didn’t quite do enough.
How did this go for you? Do you feel you have the tools to create a dream goal that resonates with your values? Are we missing anything you wish were here? Please share your results and insights! We love to hear it.
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Thank you,
🌞 Abigail & Niki
Co-Founders of Boundless
www.helloboundless.com
