A simple formula for making dreams come true

Today, I’d like you to engage in a quick exercise with me.

Please get out a pen and paper, and answer the following questions:

1. You have something you want to do, and you’re not doing it… yet. What is it?
2. What’s the next smallest step you can take to make that thing happen?

Why am I asking you these questions? Because of my friend, Reem.

Reem was a consultant for McKinsey & Company.

But what she really wanted to do (Question 1) was publish a cookbook.

Do you know what Reem did next (Question 2)?

She went to the bookstore, picked up a cookbook and read the acknowledgments section.

She noticed that the author thanked an agent in the acknowledgments, and she wrote down the name of the agent.

That’s it.

That was the next smallest step.

There is more to this story.

A lot more.

Reem read lots of cookbooks, wrote down lots of agent names, did lots of research, and wrote lots of very targeted emails.

Eventually, Reem found an agent, snagged a contract with a top publisher, and even got Anthony Bourdain to do the blurb on the book cover.

There were many steps along the way that led to that happy ending.

But none of it could have happened without that first step… which, if you think about it, was really quite simple. A quick trip to the bookstore - that’s it.

Note: There is a secret formula to getting things done.

It goes like this.

1. Figure out what comes next.
2. Do that.
3. Repeat.

Look at your sheet of paper.

If you haven’t already, answer the questions.

Go do whatever you wrote for #2.

And when you’re done, shoot me an email! I’d love to know what you did, and what comes next.

-Carl

P.S. This week, the sketch above is for you... totally free... no tricks.

Just follow these instructions: 

1. Go here.
2. Click "Buy Digital Download."
3. Click "Check Out."
4. This 100% discount will be automatically applied using the link above.
5. Enter your billing address (I can't figure out how to get around that), but you will NOT need to enter credit card info... because it's free.

Editors note: This article was originally published a number of years ago and has been republished for the benefit of our many new readers.

About Carl Richards Carl Richards is a Certified Financial Planner and a columnist for the New York Times, Morningstar magazine and Yahoo Finance. He is author of 2 books, The Behavior Gap & The One-Page Financial Plan. Carl lives with his family in Park City, Utah. You can find his work and sign up for his newsletter (which has an international audience) at www.behaviorgap.com/