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4 Lessons I Learned From Writing Down “Who I Want to Be Someday.”

4 Lessons I Learned From Writing Down “Who I Want to Be Someday.”
Photo by Mike Tinnion / Unsplash

By Lisa Cooper

My name is Lisa Cooper: daughter of the King, wife, mother of 3 fabulous people, mother in law to 2 very special ladies (I prefer to say I have 5 kids), and “Geema” to 3 of the most beautiful grand babies. I am a member of Orlando Baptist Church. I am incapable of doing just one thing. I enjoy serving others and loving on people in various ways for Jesus. I want a life of no regrets where others come first. I started my career in banking. I served on staff at a church for 19 years as children’s director and then executive assistant to the lead pastor. From there I was business manager for a multimillion dollar roofing company. I have served on staff for a non-profit now for 20 years and I am currently the business manager for a restoration company.

Years ago, at a conference, I was encouraged to write down who I might want to be someday. I was encouraged to be specifically dream as if it were already true. This was such an odd exercise, but such a great lesson. In 2019, I took it to an extreme and wrote out the who, what and where I wanted to be and used it as a lesson with a group of people. (Free lesson: I have learned that I receive the greatest benefit and impact when I have to teach something to a group). Here are the 4 lessons I learned.

Lesson 1: Dream Intentionally

It takes time and energy to document who we want to be, to envision the best version of ourselves, and contemplate our goals for the future. I spent about 8 hours total over a couple weeks of writing, praying, and dreaming to get this down on paper. The plan was written as if it had already happened, looking back from the future. I was intentionally dreaming big, out of my normal thinking, with nothing holding me back.

”Yesterday is but today's memory, and tomorrow is today's dream.” -Kahil Gibran

Examples:

  • I am peaceful and content with the Lord. We spend time with each other every day
  • I use words like lovely
  • I speak encouragement into people and
  • I give where there is need, I watch for it
  • I spend time with my grand babies and give their parents breaks (I wrote this even before I had grand babies, writing as if it already happened)
  • I read 20 books this year
  • I paid off my house

These are just a few of mine, some are too personal to share.

Lesson 2: Create Lead Measures

I took the Dreams and condensed them into the top 10 things I really wanted. Some short term, some long term. I put them in order of importance to me. This list became my new goals and my focus.

I took the goals and made lead measures. Lead measures come from a book called The 4 Disciplines of Execution. This book was an awful read but had the greatest takeaways.

The lead measure is what you need to put in place to lead you to the goal.

Example: If I say I want to read 20 books a year, then I need to mark out time to read on my calendar and make sure I'm reading 1-2 per month. If I don't mark the time down the reading won't happen. If I don't know what books I want to read, the reading won't happen. A lead measure is a plan to get me where I want to go.

Lesson 3: Maintain Constant Awareness

Once I had my 10 things and my lead measures, I wrote them in the front of a fresh journal (who doesn't love a fresh new journal with all those empty pages and great possibilities) in order of importance. I use this same journal for my quiet time with the Lord so I see this list every day. At the top of each week I rewrite them (yes hand write them). They stay fresh in my mind and I put a check by the ones I made some headway on. You need to be intentional on what works for you, but I'm here to tell you if you don't have it at the front of your mind everyday they won't happen.

Giving to others is such a priority to me so I write all my giving in the front page of my Bible. Last year when I looked at that page I could not believe what God did with my willingness (Giving can be more than cash. Sometimes it is buying groceries, sending dinner over to someone, paying a service to clean someone's house when they are sick, or helping with Christmas gifts).

Lesson 4: Track Your Progress

Be intentional and document what you want to do, what you are doing, and what you already did. It will encourage you. When I was asked to write this I looked back at my original writing in 2019 and I am happy to say I have completed 3 big goals that started as a dream. One was so God sized when I wrote it down I thought to myself “this is silly I cannot do this, but I'm dreaming so I'll put it down.” I am actively accomplishing 3 of my goals.

Conclusion

My forever Pastor always says:

”you will never accomplish all of your dreams, but you will never accomplish more than you dream, dream Big!”

This task was so impactful for me. I know it sounds like homework, but what better homework could you do? I was able to get alone and away for two days at the beach to do this. What a gift. I have been able to see myself accomplishing my dreams along this journey. I have more to do but in a few years I will have to start over because I will have seen so many of my dreams come true.