THE GIFT OF A DREAM (28): WRITE YOURSELF A CHEQUE

"It is better to risk starving to death then surrender. If you give up on your dreams, what's left?" - Jim Carrey

Jim Carrey

Most people have dreams, and it could be anything. But whatever it is, that dream is an important part of you; and you should go for it. The first step is, knowing what you want - that thing you envision yourself doing with your life. That passion, that makes you jump out of your skin with excitement and makes you feel whole when you're doing it. That monstrous desire of your heart that pulls you back up every time you fall. That's what I'm talking about here.

The story goes that before he became famous, Carrey wrote himself a cheque for ten million dollars. On the memo line, he wrote, "For Services Rendered." For years he carried that check in his wallet, pulling it out occasionally to keep his dream alive. Today he's one of the highest-paid entertainers in the industry, getting well over 20 million dollars for just one film. What role do you think that check played in his success?

Fewer than 3% of people have clear, written goals, and they are usually the most successful in every field. There's something almost magical that happens when you write something down. It doesn't matter how you write it, what matters, is getting down what you want to do or achieve. The very act of putting it down sets something, somewhere, in motion. It's inexplicable but things start to come together to make that dream a reality.

A picture might is no doubt worth a thousand words. But I dare say that a written goal is priceless. Write yourself a cheque if you have to, but by all means look for something to keep that dream alive.