29 ways to ignite your dreams

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Published October 2012 The Awesomeness Academy 29 Ways to Ignite Your Dreams by Rodrigo Stockebrand

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Page 1: 29 Ways to Ignite your Dreams

Published October 2012

The Awesomeness Academy

29 Ways to Ignite Your Dreamsby Rodrigo Stockebrand

Page 2: 29 Ways to Ignite your Dreams

Table Of Contents

1. Write down your dreams

2. Put them where you can see them

3. Feel the pain

4. Go people watching

5. Invite someone who inspires you to lunch

6. Just start.

7. Read the right books and magazines

8. Prepare to fail

9. Expect to freak out

10. Do lots of tiny actions

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11. Set reminders

12. Take a trip

13. Create a mini launch

14. Pray

15. Create a glimpse book

16. Call your parents

17. Talk to a friend

18. Write a success letter

19. The 80 year old you

20. Imagine what it will be like

21. Create a 2 minute movie

22. Listen to your words

23. The worst case scenario

24. The inspiration list

25. Start small

Section 1

29 Ways to Ignite your Dreams

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26. Start early

27. Find your purpose

28. Who do you owe it to?

29. Tomorrow

Please feel free to copy/print/tweet/share this ebook if you found it helpful.

Find more tips and tools at www.theawesomenessacademy.com

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Introduction

What do you dream of becoming? What does your perfect life look like? What business have you always wanted to start, but have never gotten the chance? What ideas do you have to change the world?

Many people have dreams, but few actually turn those dreams into reality. The following pages contain 29 tips for taking those dreams and turning them into reality; regardless of your age, gender, nationality, religion, income, relationship, or any of those other things we let get in our way.

Take time to read through each of the tips, but above all, dig deep for the courage to actually take that first step. Everything changes with that step. And unfortunately, reading this doesn’t count. Unless of course, you’re reading this while walking, on a treadmill, or on a bike.

The world is counting on you, and God’s got your back.

Enjoy.

1. Write down your dreams

On anything... a napkin, a notebook, a smartphone, a wall, what-ever you can find. Just get ‘em where you can see ‘em. They will be easier to remember, harder to ignore, and always acces-sible when you need them most.

If you’re having trouble starting- start with the answers to these questions:

What is my idea of the perfect job?

What are the five things that I’m really awesome at?

What are two groups of people that I’d really like to help?

If I could have anything right this very second, what would it be?

What would the “dream me” be like in a movie?

2. Put them where you can see themPrint out your dreams and place them in the two places where you are most likely to see them. For me it’s the refrigerator and the car steering wheel. What are yours?

3. Feel the pain

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Most people want to change the world but don’t really know what needs to be changed. If you have a dream in your heart to help others, close the computer and go outside. Volunteer. Ask questions. Expose yourself to learning more about the chal-lenges, needs, and issues that the world is counting on you to solve.

It’s okay to donate time and money online, and in fact some-thing we should find more time and resources to do. But if your dream is to truly make a dent in some type of social cause, you’ll have to take a different route. One that will require more of you.

Regardless of whether your dream is to change the world, change an organization, or change a process that you know is wrong. It’s only once you truly feel an issue, that you’ll find the guts to actually do something about it.

4. Go people watchingIt’s amazing what one afternoon at a coffee shop in a busy city can teach you about people. Jobs are being offered, gossip is being spread, and first dates are ending awkwardly all around us.

Sometimes, all our dreams need is a little proof that they are worth pursuing. And sometimes that inspiration can be found in a $2 cup of coffee, and an afternoon observing life happening around us.

If you really want a challenge, go people watching in a different country. At the very least, you’ll discover how similar we all really are (and how coffee should actually taste).

5. Invite someone to lunchEvery lunch is an opportunity to connect with someone new, spend time with someone you love, or thank someone you’re grateful for.

Don’t take lunches for granted, regardless of how busy you are. Whether it’s a two hour formal lunch or a standing 15-minute es-presso and bagel, make the most of this wonderful intermission of awesomeness given to us each day.

A great lunch may sometimes change your entire life, but al-ways changes the second part of your day.

6. Just start.

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For months, a young artist by the name of Michelangelo sat and stared at a rather unique wall, located in the middle of a bustling Italian city. After seeing this young man over the course of many months, an elder man stops to ask, “young man, why do you waste so much time here staring at this wall, and not working?” The young Michelangelo, strong in his gaze, simply responds, “I am not staring, I am working.” Two years later, the statue of David was built from that very wall.

In almost every situation, we don’t need tools or resources to get started. The magic is in the idea, and the idea is just waiting for a chance to come out. All we need at this very moment, is the courage to start. It only gets harder with each passing day. So, grab your calendar. Mark today as the day you refuse to keep staling, and the day you start.

7. Read the right books and magazinesMost people don’t actually read more than 2 books per year. While the intentions and the desire of reading may be there, we just don’t have the time and patience to get through 200 pages like we used to.

Ironically, there are now more books than ever published be-fore. Just walk into a Barnes and Noble bookstore and you’ll

see the vast number of books written on even the most specific of topics: Vegan Diets for Poodles, anyone?

All things considered, there is still a lot of important and valu-able information in those books. So reading them is a must. The question is, which ones do you pick?

Start by going to a book store that has a good selection of books related to the topic you are interested in (at least 50 books on the topic). From there, take a quick read through the inside and back cover synopsis. Next, take a picture of the 6-7 books that catch your attention the most (with your smart-phone). Lastly, go to Amazon.com and see which of those books has the most, and the most positive, book reviews.

For magazines, a 5 minute flip through the table of contents and inside pages will give you a good idea as to whether you would actually take the time to read through the articles. Keep in mind that with an average cost of $4.00 and only 30 actual pages of no-ad content. It costs about $.13 to read each page. It may not seem like much, but count how many magazines you have at home that have gone unread and multiply that number by 4. If it’s a really high number, it’s probably better to not buy a magazine.

As an alternative to books, and in cases where you may have a long commute or down-time, try the audio book alternative for a

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particular book you are interested in. Most can be found on any smartphone or bookseller website.

8. Prepare to failSounds bizarre, but it’s true. Most ideas and businesses will face some type of major rejection or failure at their start. The se-cret is in the bounce-back and one’s ability to use failure as a powerful learning tool.

J.K Rowling wrote the first Harry Potter book on a manual type-writer, penniless, as a single mother, and rejected by twelve publishers, before one took a chance on her.

Coronel Sanders, frustrated by only receiving $105 in social se-curity, started Kentucky Fried Chicken at the age of 65. After knocking on 1,010 doors and hearing 1,009 “no’s”... one restau-rant owner finally said, “yes.”

If you launch your venture with the understanding that there will be failures, most small but some possibly big, you will be much more prepared to see them for what they truly are: opportunities to make adjustments and keep moving forward.

No matter what you do, do it from a place of passion. It will make every failure seem like a mere bump in the road.

9. Expect to freak outWalt Disney was having a bad day. His animation company had recently gone bankrupt, and he was just fired as a cartoonist for a local newspaper for lacking imagination. This is typically the point where most of us would begin to freak out, lose interest, and give up. But this wasn’t the case for Walt Disney. He had a burning desire in his heart to see his dream of Disney World come true. And after persisting through over 300 rejection let-ters and criticism from banks, one bank finally accepted.

Freak outs can be good and bad. The good ones are easy and typically come from exciting news and successes. The bad ones however, typically come from the early failures and rejec-tions. And those tend to pack the hardest punch.

Failure can show up in many forms. Sometimes, failure means no one shows up. Or money is lost. Or friends are lost. But if you see it coming, it’s much easier to deal with. If the worst thing that can happen is already planned for- and accepted as a possible outcome- the fear that provokes a freak-out is usually avoided.

Prepare for the worst, and expect the best.

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10. Do lots of tiny actionsA big project can overwhelm us into not taking any action at all. Too much to do. Too many resources are needed. The tasks add up into one big massive ball of exhaustion.

Alternatively, when the project is divided into many tiny actions, they each become something we can almost certainly do.

For example, in which example do you think you are most likely to take action this very second?

Scenario A: Goal = Get a new customer

• Step 1: Contact prospects and close a sale

Scenario B: Goal = Get a new customer

• Step1: Make a list of all possible prospects

• Step 2: Make a list of people who can provide referrals

• Step 3: Create an updated sales presentation

• Step 4: Contact a few current clients to ask for a testimonial

• Step 5: Contact prospects and close a sale

If you guessed scenario B, you’re exactly right. What may look like more steps is actually a much more probable route for reaching your goals.

11. Set remindersLet’s face it, we forget things. Some things more important than others (Anniversary, anyone?).

When you have a lot of things going on, set a reminder for the really important things on your, iPhone, egg timer, sun dial, or whatever works for you. Sometimes a helpful nudge can keep us going when we most want to fall out of the zone, and into our ordinary habits.

Start today, and set a reminder for a 2pm (or 3pm, 4pm, when you’re available) stretch and short prayer.

Besides these daily or more frequent reminders. Create a really big reminder in your calendar (e.g. 2 weeks to go until we launch!). It will remind you of the precious time you have left and help re-prioritize the things you have left to do on your list.

Don’t let the day take control of you; take control of your day. You never know how many you have left.

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12. Take a tripSometimes, getting out of town and seeing things from a differ-ent place and perspective can make all the difference in the world.

Just don’t forget to pack light and plan on being outside most of the time. It’s where inspiration and ideas are most likely to find you.

13. Create a mini launchCreate a mini version of your launch. One product. One specific market. Whatever the focus, make sure the numbers will count and inform the bigger launch.

The internet can be a great way to test your idea before you spend more time and effort creating a larger, and often riskier, launch of your idea.

And remember, a failed mini launch does not mean a failed big launch. So test small, but remember why you’re testing.

14. Pray

Each morning, at the place where you sit down to work, throw on some headphones, put some relaxing music on, and say a little prayer to get your day started. Right before shutting down at night, repeat.

At the end of the day, it will take less time than you’ve already spent on Facebook, and will actually make an impact on your day and quality of life.

Remember, life is about priorities and we should always make even just a little time for God in our daily routines. Make today the day you start. So, right now, stop reading. Say a little prayer. And continue.

15. Create a glimpse bookA glimpse book is collage of pictures (from magazines, web-sites, wherever you find a picture) that show a glimpse of the life you aspire to have. It can be a picture of a 10-bedroom log cabin in Aspen, a Lamborghini Murcielago, a team of volunteers building a school, a group of successful business executives in a luxurious board room closing a deal, a family of five sailing the mediterranean, and so on.

Take some time today to print out or tear out some pages from websites and magazines (make sure you purchase them if

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you’re going to rip out the pages!) that inspire you. Once you have a good collection, glue them onto a stationary book or photo album. Have fun with this and get lots of pictures (20-30 per category - e.g. “dream home”).

For inspiration, go into a local bookstore and look at the maga-zine selection. Also, use Pinterest.com and Google Images as your guide.

16. Call your parentsThere’s just something awesome about getting your parent’s take on things. Sometimes, it’s not honestly the best advice (and may even be what you don’t want to hear), but they love being parents and will appreciate the fact that you called them to get their input.

Alternatively, call a grandparent, an aunt/uncle/cousin, or an old friend that you trust and admire.

Sometimes, just hearing a familiar and trusted voice on the other end of the phone can be exactly what we needed in a world where we often feel alone.

p.s. texting, Facebook, or Twitter don’t count.

17. Give yourself an hour of power When you go to bed tonight, put your tennis shoes next to your bed and sleep in a fresh pair of running shorts and t-shirt. Set the alarm for 5:59am and tell yourself this: I know I’m going to want to hit the snooze, but I’m just going to trust this crazy guy for one morning. And all I have to do is put shoes on and step outside.

Once you’ve overcome the biggest barrier of just getting up, (btw, congratulations-- that’s a huge step), spend the next hour walking at a slightly accelerated pace (not as slow as walking and not as fast as speed walking) and saying/doing the follow-ing:

Minute 0 - 15 - Think about your day (what do you want to ac-complish, what meetings do you have, what are the outcomes you want from those meetings, what is the most important part of your day, what is the purpose of your day, etc...)

Minute 15 - 30 - Think about all of the things you are grateful for

Minute 30 - 45 - Think about what you want your life to be like (your work, your body, your finances, your life’s accomplish-ments)

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Minute 45 - 60 - Give thanks to God for those things (you’re giv-ing thanks in advance)

*This method was created by Tony Robbins and you can find much more information on the Hour of Power and other early morning workout techniques on his website.

18. Write a success letterTake a blank piece of paper and date it for 6 months from today.

Write yourself a letter (starting with Dear _______), and tell yourself the things you will have accomplished by that date. What businesses will you have started? What will success look like? What relationships will you have fixed? What major deci-sions will you have made? What changes will you have made? What will the you in 6 months be like?

At the end of the letter, write the following:

“Like many things, this is not going to be easy. You’re going to have to face many challenges, rejection, judgement, fear, risk, and other types of adversity.

But keep on. Keep pushing forward. Keep the momentum. And always remember that you are not alone in your journey. The Lord is next to you. Cheering you on. Guiding your steps. And fueling your heart.

And in the end, you’ll be the one standing. The victorious one. The one with the incredible story to tell the world. And the child that trusted in the Lord.”

Fold it. Put it in your purse/wallet. And pull it out during the mo-ments when you need it most along the next 6 months.

19. The 80 year old youImagine you are celebrating your 80th birthday. You’re sur-rounded by dear friends and family, and can hear the laughter of your great grandchildren playing in the distance. You’ve lived a great life, and have so much to be proud of.

At some point in the evening, a guest at the party who doesn’t know you very well asks another guest, “What is he known for?” “What did he/she do?

How will the other guest respond? What do you want to be known for, at your 80th birthday. What will you have done to make your dent in the world?

Write it down, and check-in every birthday along the way.

20. Imagine what it will be like

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If you’ve ever read the book, The Secret, it talks about the law of attraction (that’s the secret...) and how oftentimes just imag-ing having the things you want, can cause them to come into your life. Sounds crazy, right? But somehow, and for many peo-ple, it works.

So grab a hot cup of coffee or tea, sit back and imagine what your perfect life looks like. Think of the details: the way you act, the way you talk, the way you give to others, the way others treat you, the way you feel, so on and so forth.

Do this every day for 20 minutes, for two weeks. You’ll soon dis-cover that you are slowly becoming that person that you’ve imagined.

21. Create a 2 minute movieOf anything. Just grab your smartphone and go. Capture life as it happens. Capture quiet and perfect moments around your neighborhood. Capture a walk to the mailbox and back. What-ever inspires you, record it.

Once you have your footage, use a movie editing software like iMovie on your smartphone to add in music and edit it down to 2 minutes. Post it to YouTube when you’re finished.

This project is much more than just creating a movie and exer-cising your creative muscles, although that is a big part of it. The real lesson here is in the doing. The action. And if you can just figure out that one little part, all else will happen on its own. Whether it’s a video or life.

22. Listen to your wordsHave you ever listened to your self speak? What words are you using to explain things? Do you get emotional easy? Are there certain topics that make you say, “umm” a lot?

Grab your smartphone and find the audio recorder, the next chance you get. Press record and start talking about anything. Give a speech. Practice your sales pitch. Practice your pick up lines. Practice an interview. Whatever you can think of, practice it by speaking out loud and recording it.

I used to record myself giving myself imaginary interviews that I’d have once I was successful. I’d ask questions like, “Rod, what kept you from quitting?” Pretty corny, I know. But man did they help. I’d often play back that voice recording when I was facing adversity, or facing a challenging moment in my day. And it was those words that pulled me back onto the track.

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For bonus points, video record yourself as well. We do some pretty weird things with our body language sometimes, so watching yourself can help you avoid making the most classic of body language mistakes (like crossing your arms, hands in pocket, hands swinging, etc...)

23. The worst case scenarioCan you imagine what would happen if you just suddenly quit your job... today? What would happen if you just grabbed a suit case and left for the airport right this very second with no plan, no destination, and no agenda?

Oftentimes, the worst case scenario is not as bad as it seems in our heads. In fact, sometimes the worst case scenario can even be something positive, like a learning experience. Whatever the case, the best way to prepare for the worst case scenario is to do just that very thing- prepare for the worst case scenario.

Start by writing down all of the reasons for doing a particular thing (starting a business, traveling the world, etc...). Then write down the absolute best outcome you could expect from that situation. Next, write down a probable worst case scenario and get specific. “I could die” is not a probable worst case scenario, at least not in most situations. And if it is, you may need to strongly re-consider your actions.

Unless of course, you’re Felix Baumgartner. In that case, forget the list of scenarios. Go straight to prayer.

24. The inspiration listWhat inspires you? What are the things that you notice around you, on the web, in magazines, and in life that inspire you to be-come more. Keep track of these things in a list. Update it fre-quently. Be specific. And look at it as often as you can.

Here is a shortlist of my inspirations:

1. Going to church on Sunday nights

2. Going to the business networking events at church

3. Having someone email me for help on something

4. Watching the movie, the Pursuit of Happyness

5. Early morning workouts (definitely the part after the workout)

6. 10-15 minutes into reading the Bible

7. A really bad eating day inspires me to work out

8. Watching the olympics inspires me to workout

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9. Watching the news inspires me to change the channel

As you can see, they don’t all have to make sense or be some-thing you can actually act on. They just have to be specific, and things that inspire you.

25. Start smallThe theory of relativity started with a simple question. McDon-alds started as just one restaurant. Dell was created in a dorm room. No matter what you’re working on, start small.

If you have your idea, build the minimum amount necessary to show others. Get feedback. Adjust. Repeat.

If you’re still developing your idea, start by solving the problems of just a small group of people. Focus on their needs, and cre-ate something they will love.

We often never even start our projects because they are too big. Too risky. Too expensive. And sometimes, just too dang hard. So start little. Wash the dishes as your first step to finish-ing the front yard landscaping. Send an email as your first step to starting a business. Walk to work (or a mile down the road) as your first step to working out.

Soon, those little steps will add up to the bigger project.

26. Start earlyThe other day, I came across an old notebook that I had from 2008. I flipped through the pages and came across a page dated 02-18-08, where I had written 3 awesome business ideas I wanted to start, and ones that didn’t have any competition (af-ter extensive research). What was particularly interesting about these notes is they were extensive. Pages upon pages of de-tailed plans, action steps, budget break-downs, and tons of other information about how it was going to work. The problem was, I never started any of those projects. They were too big.

Then it struck me. Today, there are hundreds of companies that have taken those exact three ideas (it was freaky how close those businesses were to my notes) and all were multi-million dollar businesses. If only...

You see, that’s our problem. We often don’t think that we’re ca-pable of succeeding. Or worse, we think we don’t deserve it. We say to ourselves, “I could never run a million dollar com-pany,” or “I could never write a book.” And we never try.

The world is moving faster than we all think. There is more com-petition, more information, more experience being gained every-day. Waiting is no longer a luxury we can afford.

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The choice is ours. Start or catch up.

27. Find your purposeThere are lots of temptations in life. Bigger homes, faster cars, more luxurious travel, better restaurants, butler services, and even a $1,000 per lb. strawberry cheesecake.

But what’s it all worth if we don’t serve a greater purpose? If we don’t leave the world just a little bit better than we found it?

Deep down, all businesses, ideas, and people have a desire to help others. But somewhere along the way, money became the priority, the mission, and the only reason for pushing forward. If you walk into a store and no one says hello, no one is around to help, no one cares to acknowledge you, and no one is willing to go out of their way to give you a better experience, you experi-ence what most everyone experiences in a typical U.S. shop-ping day. Service is dead. Businesses are failing.

Why? Because people know the difference. They see it in bad customer service. They see it in hidden fees. The feel it in ex-cessive advertising. You’re desperate. And they, have options.

So find your purpose. Make sure it’s something real, and not based on money. If your intentions are right from the start, and

what you offer is truly valuable to others (even if they are a small group), the money will come.

If you give life nothing short of your purest and most honorable intentions, you’ll be richer than you’ve ever imagined.

28. Who do you owe it to?What happens if tomorrow you don’t take any action?

Will the world notice? Is there something on the line? Is some-one else affected? Will it affect how you see yourself?

We don’t often think about what’s on the line. Or what and who is counting on us to push forward. By nature, we just think about what’s in it for us. Our goals. Our money. Our dreams.

But we know better. God created us to serve. He created us to glorify His name and His word. It’s not about us. It’s about Him.

So what’s on the line is much bigger than we think.

The stakes are high, yes, but the chances of succeeding are much greater, when God is by our side.

29. Tomorrow

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Tomorrow is a big day. It’s either going to be the day you take control and action of your future. Or it will just be one more day.

The choice is yours. I hope you’ll make the right choice.

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About RodrigoRodrigo Stockebrand, 30, is an up-and-coming Christian author that writes in a mod-ern, and youthful style, on the topic of business inspiration, motivation, and strategy. He was born in Chile and immigrated to the United States at the young age of 3.

After graduating college with three majors in International Business, Marketing and Spanish, Rodrigo spent nine years in the advertising industry working at some of the world’s largest agencies and accounts, including J.C. Penney, Target, NASCAR, Coca-Cola, Mars, Hyatt Resorts, Unilever, and others.

Over the years, he has independently managed over $500 million in global advertis-ing budgets, and has successfully launched campaigns to reach over 3 billion peo-ple, across TV, print, radio, and digital media.

He is a Christian business speaker, trainer, and coach for organizations, govern-ments, and individuals all around the world.

This is his first publication.

Please contact Rodrigo directly at: [email protected] or on Twitter @rodr1g0

About the Author