1 00:00:03,400 --> 00:00:09,520 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning, 2 00:00:10,760 --> 00:00:16,720 Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's 3 00:00:16,760 --> 00:00:20,560 Speaker 1: tip is to make a moonshot dot to dot map. 4 00:00:21,760 --> 00:00:25,000 Speaker 1: If you have big goals that are not currently achievable, 5 00:00:26,079 --> 00:00:30,560 Speaker 1: brainstorm the various intermediate steps that might bring you there. 6 00:00:31,880 --> 00:00:36,320 Speaker 1: Seeing these steps and what they might require can help 7 00:00:36,400 --> 00:00:41,600 Speaker 1: make a big goal feel more doable. Today's tip comes 8 00:00:41,640 --> 00:00:46,080 Speaker 1: from Elizabeth Sharpmakhetta's new book, Edit Your Life, which is 9 00:00:46,120 --> 00:00:51,840 Speaker 1: about living with intention in a messy world. Elizabeth explains 10 00:00:51,880 --> 00:00:55,680 Speaker 1: that a moonshot dot to dot map is a prompt 11 00:00:55,800 --> 00:00:59,840 Speaker 1: for brainstorming how to move toward any currently unachievable goal. 12 00:01:00,920 --> 00:01:06,000 Speaker 1: That is, it is a moonshot. When President Kennedy talked 13 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:08,920 Speaker 1: about going to the Moon in the early nineteen sixties, 14 00:01:09,840 --> 00:01:13,000 Speaker 1: the technology to go there wasn't ready for prime time, 15 00:01:14,080 --> 00:01:18,720 Speaker 1: but it got there with a lot of work. Similarly, 16 00:01:19,560 --> 00:01:24,119 Speaker 1: just because something isn't currently achievable doesn't mean it never 17 00:01:24,200 --> 00:01:30,039 Speaker 1: will be. You just have to figure out the intermediate steps. 18 00:01:30,120 --> 00:01:32,800 Speaker 1: So Elizabeth tells us to draw a dot for your 19 00:01:32,840 --> 00:01:37,040 Speaker 1: life as it is today, then draw a dot for 20 00:01:37,120 --> 00:01:41,200 Speaker 1: your moonshot goal. What steps could you set up to 21 00:01:41,200 --> 00:01:46,520 Speaker 1: succeed in getting there. Brainstorm a bunch of dots that 22 00:01:46,600 --> 00:01:51,160 Speaker 1: might go in the middle. For example, Elizabeth says, if 23 00:01:51,200 --> 00:01:54,280 Speaker 1: your dream is to be a lawyer and you currently 24 00:01:54,280 --> 00:01:58,200 Speaker 1: work in customer service, one of those dots would need 25 00:01:58,200 --> 00:02:01,360 Speaker 1: to be going to law school. You could then think 26 00:02:01,400 --> 00:02:03,640 Speaker 1: about other aspects of that, like that there might be 27 00:02:03,800 --> 00:02:06,200 Speaker 1: night classes, so maybe you could keep your day job. 28 00:02:07,360 --> 00:02:12,000 Speaker 1: Another dot would be prioritizing regular study time, and another 29 00:02:12,120 --> 00:02:15,280 Speaker 1: might be finding mentors and allies in the legal field. 30 00:02:16,600 --> 00:02:21,560 Speaker 1: Be creative and be specific, she says, which is the 31 00:02:21,680 --> 00:02:26,240 Speaker 1: simplest dot to dot path between your now life and 32 00:02:26,360 --> 00:02:31,880 Speaker 1: your ideal life? Which steps feel easy and which feel daunting? 33 00:02:33,400 --> 00:02:36,240 Speaker 1: Break your dot to dot map into smaller steps if 34 00:02:36,280 --> 00:02:40,640 Speaker 1: you need to, she says, until each dot feels, if 35 00:02:40,720 --> 00:02:47,840 Speaker 1: not easy, at least achievable. I like this idea. Many 36 00:02:47,880 --> 00:02:52,320 Speaker 1: big goals are about layering on bits of progress. What 37 00:02:52,560 --> 00:02:56,000 Speaker 1: isn't doable now might be doable in a year with 38 00:02:56,080 --> 00:03:00,280 Speaker 1: consistent motion. When I first moved into my new house 39 00:03:00,320 --> 00:03:04,760 Speaker 1: about a year ago, having all the renovations finished and 40 00:03:04,919 --> 00:03:10,000 Speaker 1: having everything unpacked and getting any needed furniture and making 41 00:03:10,040 --> 00:03:14,280 Speaker 1: things look nice seemed almost overwhelming, and it would have 42 00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:17,800 Speaker 1: been overwhelming to do in a week or two, but 43 00:03:17,919 --> 00:03:21,600 Speaker 1: in a year or two it's not so bad, And 44 00:03:21,680 --> 00:03:25,280 Speaker 1: I could map out various steps in the middle. First, 45 00:03:25,360 --> 00:03:32,440 Speaker 1: unpack the kitchen boxes. Later, get curtains, later, yet unpack 46 00:03:32,520 --> 00:03:36,760 Speaker 1: the boxes in the closet. I am working on revising 47 00:03:36,760 --> 00:03:40,240 Speaker 1: a novel now, and the finished product seems far in 48 00:03:40,240 --> 00:03:44,560 Speaker 1: the future. But I mapped out a chapter outline, and 49 00:03:44,640 --> 00:03:48,080 Speaker 1: I wrote the flap copy, and now I am following 50 00:03:48,080 --> 00:03:50,800 Speaker 1: a revision schedule that has me doing one to three 51 00:03:50,880 --> 00:03:54,800 Speaker 1: short chapters worth of edits each week. Then I will 52 00:03:54,840 --> 00:03:57,760 Speaker 1: work through the whole book at once, and then I 53 00:03:57,800 --> 00:04:03,160 Speaker 1: will get test readers and so forth. What big goals 54 00:04:03,240 --> 00:04:07,720 Speaker 1: are you currently pursuing? Getting a handle on the various 55 00:04:07,720 --> 00:04:11,520 Speaker 1: steps might seem daunting, but I think it makes big 56 00:04:11,560 --> 00:04:15,560 Speaker 1: goals feel more doable to know those steps. Sure, there 57 00:04:15,640 --> 00:04:19,560 Speaker 1: might be a lot of steps, but each individual step 58 00:04:20,320 --> 00:04:25,360 Speaker 1: isn't so much. If you give yourself enough time, probably 59 00:04:26,080 --> 00:04:30,400 Speaker 1: you can get there. After all, getting to the Moon 60 00:04:30,520 --> 00:04:33,920 Speaker 1: took less than a decade. You can do a lot 61 00:04:34,839 --> 00:04:41,000 Speaker 1: in that time. In the meantime. This is Laura, Thanks 62 00:04:41,000 --> 00:04:52,799 Speaker 1: for listening, and here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody, 63 00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:55,120 Speaker 1: I'd love to hear from you. You can send me 64 00:04:55,160 --> 00:04:58,840 Speaker 1: your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with 65 00:04:58,839 --> 00:05:03,240 Speaker 1: me on Twitter, Book and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod 66 00:05:03,880 --> 00:05:08,240 Speaker 1: that's b E the number four, then Breakfast p o D. 67 00:05:09,120 --> 00:05:11,960 Speaker 1: You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast 68 00:05:12,040 --> 00:05:15,919 Speaker 1: Podcasts at iHeartMedia dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled 69 00:05:15,960 --> 00:05:18,440 Speaker 1: out with all the letters. Thanks so much, should I 70 00:05:18,480 --> 00:05:26,520 Speaker 1: look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a 71 00:05:26,560 --> 00:05:31,279 Speaker 1: production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the 72 00:05:31,320 --> 00:05:35,120 Speaker 1: iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 73 00:05:35,120 --> 00:05:35,840 Speaker 1: favorite shows.