When faced with a big decision or overwhelming goal, we tend to put it off and just keep it in the backs of our minds.
For example: me and travel hacking. I was first introduced to the concept of travel hacking by some friends/fellow travelers when I was in Italy. After Europe, they were going to move to Thailand for a few months and travel around Southeast Asia before continuing future travels.
How did they afford the flight? Well, they got it for free by putting their regular spending on a travel credit card and strategically signing up at the right times to get the best bonuses.
The first time I heard this, it blew my mind. Why didn't I do this sooner? Would I have earned enough points for a free flight by now, without even spending out of the ordinary?
It took me a year and a half to actually sign up for a travel credit card.
I had read the articles. I had heard the success stories of travel hacking. But this was something I was passive about - a pipeline goal, something I wanted to do but kept putting on the back burner, no matter how many times I put it on my to-do list.
It's been less than a week of having the credit card, though soon through regular spending I will be able to meet the sign-up bonus. The bonus includes the best part....50,000 bonus points! That's a round trip domestic flight or a one-way international ticket.
Why didn't I do this sooner? I'm always talking about taking action and going for your goals. In most cases, I practice what I preach. But for some reason, this particular goal of getting a travel card seemed extremely overwhelming.
Being overwhelmed is very common with many "big" goals, especially when they're travel-related. The best thing to do when you're faced with a big goal is to break it down into steps.
8 Essential Steps to Planning a Trip Abroad
Using SMART Goals to Take Action Toward Your Travel Dreams
Specify exactly what you want. Not: "I want to get a travel credit card," rather "I want a travel credit card with at least $xx,xxx bonus miles and no foreign transaction fees. I'm going to sign up for the card by the end of the week and put my first purchase on the card this weekend."
This can apply to anything in your life. Everyone has pipeline dreams, but by turning them into reasonable goals with a time frame we can stop dreaming and make those goals a reality. Get specific on what it is you really want and get started. Dreams don't work unless you do.