Denzel Washington is a successful actor, director, and producer who doesn’t hesitate to share his wisdom with the world, whenever he has the chance. In his opinion, “Dreams without goals are just dreams”. Everybody has dreams and it is not wrong to dream about something. But if you don’t set goals and take action, they will remain dreams instead of being part of your real life. However, some goals may seem harder to achieve. This is why it is best to split goals into smaller goals that are easily integrated into your daily life. Thus, you need to have life goals, which are the greatest, yearly goals, and, of course, daily goals, which are the easiest to achieve. This way, you’ll always stay on track.
Once you have the goals and made a plan, you need “discipline and consistency” to make things happen. Things aren’t always easy, so you’ll need these two to move forward with your plan. To increase your chances of success, you need to “plan every day” and “work every day”. A good plan will keep you from straying, but working hard will get you where you want to be. According to Denzel, “hard work works”, so you should never underestimate the power of hard work. Even if you fail or things didn’t come out as desired, despite your hard work, take it as a lesson that can make you stronger and better.
“Just because you are going a lot more doesn’t mean you are getting a lot more done”, so make sure to pay attention to your effectiveness. “Don’t confuse movement with progress”, Denzel says. Thus, it takes more than moving and acting to increase the volume of work you’ve achieved. To progress, you need to be effective in what you’re doing and obtain results. “It’s about what you do with what you have, not about what you have”, meaning that it is more important to use your resources wisely than pursue an accumulation of assets. In some cases, assets and resources are limited or hard to find. Even so, if you use them right, you will manage to reach the desired outcome. Limited or scarce resources should not keep you from acting to reach your goals.
Besides working and planning, we should also be grateful for what we already have. So, “say thank you every morning in advance, for what is already yours”. If we are not grateful for what we have and we constantly complain about what we don’t have, it will be very hard, if not even impossible, to reach success and fulfillment. Then “each one, teach one” because the most effective way of learning is through the experiences of others and our experiences as well. “Aspire to make a difference”, which means not being afraid to step out of patterns and think outside the box. Identify what is missing in the world and see if you can fill that void.
“Nothing in life is worth it if you don’t take a risk”, since good things don’t come easy. Risks are everywhere, even when you have a great plan in hand, and they shouldn’t be a deal-breaker, but something that should make you think even further. “You will lose, you will embarrass yourself, you’ll suck” because failure is part of life as we know it. Don’t be afraid of failure and accept the times when you simply blew it. Try to learn from these events instead of letting them break you. “To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did”, so yet again, step outside your comfort zone and don’t be afraid to explore and try new things. You never know where the solution you’re looking for lies.
“The world needs a lot and we need it from you”, so become the solution the world needs and help build a better future. You have the resources in you. “What are you going to do with what you have?”, is a question you seriously need to consider. Each of us has something to offer, so we just need to turn our abilities into valuable assets. “Small minds discuss other people, good minds discuss ideas”. Never lose time and effort talking about what others do. Use your energy, effort, and precious time to find life-changing ideas.
“Care for one another, love one another” because nothing can be done without love and tolerance. You cannot make it on your own, no matter how hard you try. If you want to be loved and respected, you will have to treat others with love and respect. “What an opportunity we have” is a statement you should never forget. Opportunities are everywhere if you have eyes to see them. Even when you think you’re stuck, if you look carefully enough, you will eventually manage to see an opportunity. Just make sure to have an open mind and avoid being drawn into the black hole of frustration and disappointment.
