Practical thought #3
Dream = Goal + Process
Have you ever looked at someone successful - maybe a CEO like Warren Buffet, an athlete like Michael Jordan or even someone you know that launched a successful business or landed their dream job and thought to yourself - ‘Wow these people are geniuses, I wish I could do that! or I could never do that!’’?
I used to feel the same way. But after studying numerous successful people—and elements of my own journey—taught me their achievements aren’t accidents. They have dreams, sure, but what sets them apart is a plan: a clear, practical process they follow relentlessly, and the greater they are, the more intense their process was and the longer they followed it - for example Warren Buffet read around 500 pages a day for 20, 30, 40 years - how could he not be amazing?
I remember when I was in my early twenties, I was ambitious, reasonably intelligent and worked extremely hard. I had always thought to myself ‘By the time I’m 30, I’ll be a millionaire’. Doesn’t this sound familiar?
Well, I’m now 34, and unfortunately, still not a millionaire. I did work really hard, but it turns out hard work alone was not enough. I used to think becoming a millionaire would just kind of happen—not easy, but achievable if I just kept grinding.
No.
The difference between a dream and reality is a clear structured process, and the discipline to follow through. Let me share two stories, one personal, one more general to show you what I mean.
Example 1: From a small city to Finance
When I was in university, my dream was to work in finance– think stock market analysis or investment banking. This was challenging. I grew up in a small city where finance wasn’t a common career path, my parents ran a restaurant and I had no industry connections or mentor to prepare me for the journey. I later discovered that breaking into investment banking or buy-side roles takes more than good grades and applying for the job.
Just working hard and doing it the traditional way wasn’t impossible, but it was improbable… Breaking into finance required a strategy. So, I built a plan and stuck to it (mostly). It took a long time—longer than I hoped, partly because I wasn’t always as disciplined as I could’ve been, and partly because I was enjoying the journey I was on and didn’t push for change when I needed to. Here’s a high level view of what my process looked like:
1. Study hard to earn top grades and stand out.
2. Land an entry-level job at Deloitte Accounting in my city, a role that offered exposure to finance.
3. Enrol in the CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) program to build expertise.
4. Network by attending local finance meetups and emailing professionals for advice.
5. Learn the industry inside-out by reading market reports and practicing stock analysis.
6. Invest my own money in stocks to understand the job firsthand.
See my other post for what this process looked like in detail - This was not ground breaking, each individual step looks achievable, and it was. It worked. I eventually landed an equities role because I followed a clear path. The lesson? Big goals need small, deliberate steps.
Now the tricky part is depending on your goal, you may not know what the right process is. I will dive deeper into this in a future post but the trick is finding the right mentors to refine it—people who’ve already achieved what you’re chasing.
Example 2: The Six-Pack Principle
Let’s try a simpler example. Imagine I want a six-pack. If I just hoped for it, maybe even if I worked out and exercised and ate reasonably well, it is still very unlikely to happen… because why would it? But if I create a plan—say, a gym schedule, a meal plan with lean protein, and daily core exercises, one that many people before me has used and attained a six-pack—and follow it consistently, I’ll get those abs. It’s almost guaranteed and anyone can do it.
This sounds obvious, right? So why don’t we apply the same logic to bigger dreams? The problem is often a missing or flawed plan. For example, my millionaire dream failed because there was no process. I worked hard and invested, but I never mapped out the math or timelines so think about your goals and is the process you are currently following actually going to get you there?
Revisiting the Millionaire Dream
Let’s say I set the millionaire goal again…. And maybe I will. This time, I’d create a structured process, like:
Save 30-40% of my salary monthly and deposit it into an investment account.
Aim for an 10-20%+ annual return through a mix of what I am the most skilled at (stocks) with a sound investment strategy (yes this takes a lot of skill too – becoming a millionaire is achievable, but it isn’t that easy).
Potentially add a supplementary income stream (not required).
Track my progress against these goals and adjust accordingly
With these steps, I could calculate exactly how many years it’ll take to reach a million and adjust my process accordingly if I wanted to reach it sooner. I can then compound that into more if that was my goal. If I stick to the process, I will get there.
Your Dreams Need a Blueprint
The key takeaway is that dreams are powerful, but they’re not enough. To turn them into reality, you need a plan, a structured process and relentless follow-through. If you hit roadblocks, seek mentors or peers who’ve succeeded—they’ll help you tweak your process.
What’s your dream? More importantly, what’s your process to achieve your dream?
