I’ve been contemplating what it will take to build real success. I understand the path is not the same for any two people; the destination is not the same for any two people.

I have been holding a magnifying glass to the life I currently live to examine what needs to change in order to create the proper forward momentum.

Sometimes when I want to feel like I’m making good choices I watch Anthony Robbins, because he gives me all the right feels. I usually like what he has to say, because it’s straightforward and logical. He appeals to my thinking style and personality.

I pulled him up on YouTube (whatever I saw was likely pirated and was probably only a fraction of the full talk he presented on change) and entertained a few of his ideas on focus & growth.

In this video the first thing Mr. Robbins talked about was focus and I immediately knew this was probably a good talk for me to give my full attention. The idea he presented was the practice of envisioning the future you want so clearly that you can’t help but be excited if not thrilled enough that this future consumes you and literally ‘pulls you towards it’.

ADHD makes focus something that I must continually seek new ways to pursue, something that tends to elude me.

So I think these ideas will make a good point of departure.

It can be so difficult to make the choice to sit down and create, rather than to watch YouTube, rather than to sign on to Netflix, rather than to read a comic book or a manga, rather than to click on an iPhone app and spend useless hours on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, Periscope….

There’s so much noise sometimes.

Sometimes I wonder if there is a secret to focus. I seriously do wish I could focus better.

But, maybe creating this pure picture of what I want to become can work.

Another curse of my attention span is that I find it nearly impossible to hone in on the things I am passionate about for more than a few months (and this happens only when I am seriously devoted).

There seems to be a consensus among highly successful individuals and those around them

Success in one area creates deficiencies in other areas.

If that is true, I might need to consider things I might lose in the fire, should I choose to hold the flame to my passions.

One of the strongest images I hold in my mind of success includes creating and directing a video/media production company which would give me the luxury of exploring culture wherever it piques my interests. I think part of me is afraid that the things that I find fascinating don’t exactly get everyone else hot under the collar the way the do it for me.

Still, the idea of planning my own schedule and ruling my own life is stronger than the fear of failure. I don’t think this is 100% normal, and I might be a bit crazy to peruse dreams like this. Of course these feelings are likely predicated on societal norms; I see this drive as a gift and it makes me so excited to step into the future every morning.

Doing nothing is is far more dangerous than trying and doing something completely wrong.

I’ve given myself an old tomato

*Ultimatum: I will finish my book before I turn 33. That gives me the duration of 2015 and through March (about 6 months and counting down). I believe that is something I owe myself, and something that I would regret if I never gave it the full go. And at the same time I’m worried that I won’t maintain my passion for film if I don’t abandon my manuscript again.

Even still, that doesn’t mean I can’t make plans worth breaking. Maybe it’s only a matter of time, because the idea of building my production company is one of the few things that gives me that spark of unending determination and drive when I think about it.

Let’s call video the next goal on a long to do list.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcP62DsRAsk

I think at some point I’d like to go through an average week and do a sort of metric overview of my average daily routines in order to streamline things. It would be interesting to look at my activity levels, time spent on creative efforts, entertainment, doing household chores, sleeping, working, etc. and see where there is room for growth and improvement. But for now I will let this concept of focus drive me. The vision of myself that compels me towards the future I want looks like the following.

My vision finds me as a creator, a writer, producer…

and as someone who can ignite the spark and connect others with their own goals. I am a writer of articles. A photo and video journalist; a documentarian. I write and create interest pieces, fiction, and balance a consistent stream of content from myself and an ever expanding group of fellow creators and collaborators. I am known for works including a graphic novel called Mercury, a science fiction novel called Enola, a smaller audience knows me for a webcomic later adapted to a graphic novel called Summoning Yesterday.

With this in mind, my first novel is a well received science fiction novel and will help establish my prowess as a writer, and will be my first major foray into literary works of fantasy. Successful publication will help me fund my photo and video production and build my company. It is a necessary step and a strong cornerstone of my own foundation.

Do you have goals that seem impossible, larger than yourself? What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?

Share your goals with me! If you were to focus on the thing you would love to do more than anything, what would it be? Is that something you are actively seeking or is it just a dream? Do you plan to take that vision from dream to goal?

Share your next goal with me on Twitter using the hashtag #NotJustADream