3 Small Steps to Help You Achieve Big Dreams
Have you ever been scared to begin a new journey? Especially if it’s unfamiliar territory? Industry expert Shanna Dee shared a similar story with us. It was not too long ago at her first day of beauty school that her dreams seemed impossible and unattainable. She nervously arrived and sat staring at her mannequin, unaware of the fact that she was supposed to come into beauty school with prior braiding skills.
She watched as other girls effortlessly whipped out intricate french braids, fishtail braids, and a variety of other braids. She thought to herself, “I’m done. This is it. This is my sign.” There was no way she would be able to catch up to the other girls, especially since they weren’t even going to be taught to braid.
Just as she was about to give up, she looked at the girl standing next to her and saw a mannequin with unbraided hair too. Their eyes met and it felt as if they both knew what the other was thinking. Shana felt relieved she was not alone. She didn’t give up and instead started practicing braiding every single night in an attempt to catch up to her class.
Everyone has feelings of self-doubt, but there is no need to give up on your dreams. Through small everyday actions you can turn your dreams into a reality. Shanna has broken down how you can achieve your big dreams into three simple steps.
Step 1: Determine Your Destination
First, get clear on what you want. This may not be as easy as it seems. Sometimes we tend to put someone else’s wants and needs before our own, so it is important to really determine what YOU want. Take time to figure out where you want to take your career. Once you’ve identified your goal, you can carve out a path to achieve this goal. Which brings us to step 2…
Sometimes determining your destination provides clarity for what you really want. Here is an analogy, when we enter a destination in our smart phones, we are given multiple routes to choose from. They offer different paths, and have differing arrival times, but one thing remains the same: the destination. What if your biggest dream could be as simple as typing in a destination into your GPS?
Step 2: Map Out Your Journey
Let’s imagine your goal was to become a better colorist. How will you do this? Is it as simple as wanting to get better, or do you need to set specific steps towards this desire? You need to make sure that your goal is measurable, so that you know when you have arrived at your destination. For example, instead of just simply wanting to become a better colorist, a measurable goal would be to attend a coloring course or learn a new hair color technique. There is no better feeling than accomplishing your goals. The self-confidence you gain when you complete one goal will keep you focused on heading towards your end destination.
Step 3: Get Started!
This is the important part. Once you determine what you want and how to get there (a.k.a. your destination), just get started! Similar to Shanna with braiding, getting in there and doing the work is the only way to improve. You are never too good to practice or take another class. Especially when hairstyling trends are always changing, so even if you think you are a master, there is always going to be something to learn. Studies say it takes 10,000 hours to be good at something, so you have no excuse not to practice.
You won’t ever know everything. And that’s okay! Because this leaves room for growth. It keeps things exciting, especially in hair styling. Just remember that doing something little everyday to work towards your dreams will put you on the right path, and get you that much closer to your dreams and goals. Right now is the perfect time to start planning and achieving your goals by doing something small everyday.