Write down three to five goals that first come to mind. They can be in any area of your life from triathlon to career to relationships.

Then think more expansively. What are three to five more goals. Without any barriers, what is coming to mind? Big scary goals you would love to have but maybe don’t allow yourself to actually consider a goal?

If you can dream it, you can make it happen. But it might take a whole lot of work to get there. I was struck recently by a couple of stories of how people who achieved what they wanted to achieve got there. It didn’t just happen organically, they worked their asses off for their achievements. That might sound obvious, but I listen to these stores and realize that I wouldn’t even think of doing what they are doing. It is so above and beyond what I would even consider going the ‘extra mile’ to achieve something. It also takes a lot of trust in oneself before you have any proof that you are onto something.

The most recent example is Jamie Foxx. He wanted to be a comedian. He flopped early on because he didn’t have any material for the particular audience. Instead of letting the flop go, or deciding just to work with audiences who liked the material he did have, he traveled the country trying out different material in different communities to test what worked, ultimately developing a broad repertoire to use with different audiences.

Or this story Tim Ferriss tells about traveling the country to meet people before launching his first book. He wasn’t known at that time, but believed in himself, invested in himself, to make his book a hit. Putting a bunch of work into the book wasn’t enough. Books don’t get popular on their own. He invested time and money to get it out there.

I love stories that allow me to envision what someone was like before they achieved their goals.

What are you ready to do to achieve those goals that excite you the most, without any indication that you will actually achieve? Believe in yourself because no one else will be your cheerleader!