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Albert Camus

Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.

Monday, May 22, 2017

Are you following your dreams? Dreams, Goals and Adventure by Michael Ditton

"[I]s a small book filled with wonderful insights into creating the life of your dreams, no matter the circumstances. Michael Ditton's shows, through examples from his own life choices, that anyone can obtain their dreams. It's not magic. It's not about money. It's not about fate or luck. Goals and dreams are obtainable through planning and determination. Adventure is the icing on the cake. It's about believing in yourself. Creating doable goals and taking a chance on life." - Joylene, Amazon

Description:

Dreams, Goals and Adventure is a series of personal stories, the ups and downs of someone who inspires to reach all of the dreams set forth and how sometime a life event creates a situation requiring a major adjustment. It is stories others will be able to relate to with the life adventures each and every one of them have experienced, both good and challenging

From broke to retired in ten years . . .

Returning home from Desert Storm, I found myself mentally and financially bankrupt. Newly divorced, I had no job, no help, and no hope. My reasons to live were gone. At the lowest point in my life, I fell back on simple truths from my childhood: hard work gets results, and it's okay to dream. And dream I did, setting goals that launched me from poverty to a life I could not have imagined. And you can do it, too.

Dreams, Goals, and Adventure will inspire you to dream big, work toward your goals, and live your life as an adventure every day.

* Don't be afraid to dream.
* Don't accept “no” as an answer.
* Remove “can't” from your vocabulary.
* Small goals are stepping stones to much larger goals.
* Learn how to spring forward from failure.
* Know you will have to adjust.
* Live life as an adventure.

"Your experiences are so extra-ordinary and you're fascinating to listen to. Your speaking style is humble and respectful of both your role as a speaker and of your audience, as one would expect after hearing of what you were trained to do. If others would open their lives to adventure as you have they would love their life even more." ~Jim Cathcart, author of the bestsellers: The Acorn Principle and Relationship Selling. CEO of Cathcart.com 

Michael Ditton is an entrepreneur, personal development coach, and student of life. In addition to helping others realize their dreams, he can be found sailing or traveling in search of new adventures.

“When met by unexpected challenges, embrace them wholeheartedly as opportunities for adventure and education.”

I developed Goal-Setting Basics to help others interested in learning how to set goals. In my twenties, I had to gather these valuable bits of information a piece at a time. This site offers you an array of information, tools, and resources to help you in identifying, setting, and accomplishing your goals, whatever they might be. In these tools are free worksheets and examples to help you succeed. You will find Goal-Setting Basics is your single source for all of your goal-setting needs.

“Financial Independence means having control over your time without worrying about the ability to pay your bills” … So many think they have to be as wealthy as Bill Gates to live a rich life, that is so far from the truth … Let me show you how.

GUEST POST 
Is there “risks” involved in reaching your dreams and goals, and living life as an adventure? 

I’d say there are more risks in not attempting them. 
But what if I “fail” and become a “victim” of my own adventure? 
To this I’d say congratulations…. 

I believe you have succeeded just by attempting them. In my eyes the only failure would be going through life wondering “what if”?

Yes, there are risks and if you think about it, we all take risks of one caliber or another on a regular basis. Every time we get in the car and drive the freeways, especially depending on where you live, could be considered a risk. So why do we do it? 

The key is to take calculated risks. Think things through. Plan and prepare the best you can. And Yes, they are still risks…

As for “failing”, if you at least make an attempt, you cannot fail. To me, failure is nothing more than learning. We learn what works and what does not work and when something is not working, we adjust.

Reaching a goal, more often than not, is not a straight line. It is often met with some form of adversity. It is what we do when you are challenged with adversity that truly determines what some may consider the difference between success and failure. When the roadblock presents itself, reevaluate what needs to happen to continue your forward momentum and do it.

The “victim” of your own adventures. First of all, I am not a fan of the word victim. It implies someone else has done something to you or an action was not carefully thought through and you have injured yourself or someone else. A victim is also someone who is not charge in his or her life, for whatever reason, they are the result of the circumstances. By getting out of the victim mentality, which means that they are in charge of their own life, they are also responsible for their own choices. When you are that – there are no failures

I think what others may be referring to when that statement is made is the fact that “something other than the planned outcome of your goal or adventure happened”. 

Again, this is just another experience and if the outcome is not what you were aiming for, reevaluate, adjust and move forward.

Dreams, Goals and Adventure will help you understand that these words, risks, failure, and victim, are nothing more than words. You will learn that your thoughts and actions will determine success versus “failure” but, if failure is nothing more than learning, adjusting and moving forward, than it is all considered success.

Dreams, Goals and Adventure is a series of personal short stories that everyone can relate to and they are designed to inspire you to never give up on your dreams.

Dreams, Goals and Adventure will also make you realize you are not alone when it comes to the bumps in the road and it will confirm that you can work through them.

I believe everyone can do what they put their mind to.

If we say we can or cannot do something - you are right”
Henry Ford
About the author:
I was a dreamer from an early age. To this day I believe anyone can do whatever they choose to put their mind to.

I didn’t go from eight years old to semi-retired in the length of one sentence. Nor was it easy. But I did follow a simple, time-honored process.

I was in my twenties before I fully understood the true importance of goal setting. After that, I was able to be more focused, see where I wanted to be, how I was going to get there, notice when I needed to make adjustments, and had the satisfaction of reaching goals. I enjoyed the benefits of reaching a goal and putting a big, fat check mark on my list.

Here’s how those goals paid off:
At 8, sold vegetables door to door from my little red wagon
Age 13, supervisor, World’s Fare Hamburgers
Age 15, assistant manager trainee, Pizza Hut
Age 16, assistant manager, Round Table Pizza
Age 18, began a 20-year commitment with the U.S. Army and Army Reserve, retiring in 2005 as a staff sergeant and Desert Storm veteran. Over my service career I became a leader and was recognized and awarded for my achievements and outstanding service.
Age 20, found my true calling as a sales professional
Age 31, began a successful career in real estate and real estate investments
Age 36, semi-retired
Age 37, owned and operated several companies
Age 41, semi-retired, sold everything and sailed south on his 45’ sailboat

Although I found success at a very early age, I became painfully aware of how quickly it can all be taken away. In 1991, after I returned from Desert Storm, I found myself bankrupt, mentally, physically and financially and divorced.

It was the lowest point in my life. Four years later, I had clawed my way back to even, and started to build from there. Two years after that, following my roadmap of goals, I reached my first level of financial independence. The rest is history.

For more on Michael, you can connect with him at the following sites:


Author's Giveaway
For those following his tour, Michael is offering a special price on the Kindle eBook format of DREAMS, GOALS, AND ADVENTURE at a reduced cost of just 99 cents! Readers can also get a FREE copy of Michael’s GOAL SETTING BASICS in the eBook format. For one or both of these special offers just CLICK HERE!
Thanks for visiting during Michael’s tour stop.

3 comments:

Mason Canyon said...

Sometimes I think we don't realize we're taking more of a risk by not following our dreams and goals.

Thanks for sharing Michael's story and for being a part of his tour.

Mason
MC Book Tours

Unknown said...

Thank you Mythical Books, MC Book Tours and all of you that have taken the time to read the post and make a comment. It warms my heart... I truly want my story to inspire as many people as I can and every step like this is in the right direction. Mahalo.....Michael

Joylene Nowell Butler said...

I'm so happy to see Michael's book everywhere. It was a pleasure to read. I highly recommend it.