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Big dreams are not comfy.

They will demand you to work outside your comfort zone. Your big dreams will make you a different person. They will make you nervous, uneasy and unsettled.

You could dream big and still feel utterly safe by breaking your big dream into smaller goals.

Here is step by step.

1 — Articulate your Why & What

Let’s call your big dream a vision.

A vision is how you see yourself and your environment in the future. The future could be a year from now or ten years from now.

Now define the following two things very clearly.

Whether or not you will achieve your big dream depends highly on this exercise. So focus here.

WHY?

Why is this dream crucial to you?

🔆 Your emotions?
🔆 Why do you want it?
🔆 What if you don’t achieve it?
🔆 Why is it critical to you?
🔆 What will you give up to achieve it?

WHAT?

Clearly articulate your dream.

🔆 Highlighting significant elements of your dream (5–10 points)
🔆 What you don’t want this dream to become (5–10 points)
🔆 What your life looks like after achieving your dream?
🔆 What type of people surrounds you?
🔆 What is your daily routine?

We are making excellent progress. Stay with me for the next step.

Is your WHY & WHAT sound scary?

Use one of the following emotions to feel better.

2 — TIMELINE

Becoming a software architect in six months is scarier than six years.

Give yourself a longer timeline to feel safer.

3 — BREAK IT

What all you have to do to become a software architect in 6 years?

List areas to focus

🔆 People
🔆 Experience
🔆 Opportunity
🔆 Certification
🔆 Technical skills
🔆 Higher Education
🔆 Problem Solving Mindset

These are different areas you will need to work on.

4 — GO DEEPER

List two to five items under each area.

You may have to research to find these items.

Talk to software architects in your organization.
Ask people on LinkedIn and Twitter.

For example, what are the top three certifications you could do?

Now you may have 50 items.

5 — ROADMAP

Now you have

Your big vision⤵
Why do you want it⤵
What it looks like⤵
Your area of focus⤵
Your list of 50 items⤵

Now arrange these items on a six-year timeline. Guesswork is fine. Just put them in some logical order.

This is your roadmap. Your treasure map.

6 — EXECUTE

Now pick five out of these 50 items and continue to dig deeper.

For example, earn a certification in the next six months. Certifications typically require training, study, and examination.

List these activities for each of your five items.

This will give you about 25 activities.

Arrange those 25 activities on a six-month timeline.

Use the following factors -

🔆Cost
🔆Value
🔆Comfort
🔆Availability
🔆Prerequisites
🔆What is more crucial?

Pick one or two activities you can start immediately.

START

This will create momentum for the next six months.

7 — REFLECT & ADJUST

Focus on those two activities during the week and review progress every weekend.

Reflect on your big vision monthly.

Review is the most significant step in this entire process.

During your review, you will track your progress. You will also adjust your future activities based on your progress and new information.

Every month, reflect on the following items.

Your big vision⤵
Why do you want it⤵
What it looks like⤵
Your area of focus⤵
Your list of 50 items⤵
Timeline & Roadmap⤵

KEEP ADJUSTING

That’s a wrap!