Posted on by Max Herrera

On Unrealized Dreams

An unrealized dream is a goal, aspiration, or vision that someone has not yet achieved or brought to fruition. It represents something deeply desired—a personal, professional, or creative ambition—that remains incomplete or unfulfilled. Unrealized dreams can range from small, personal goals (like learning a new skill) to grand, life-changing ambitions (like starting a business, writing a book, or making a significant impact on the world).

Key Characteristics of an Unrealized Dream

  1. Emotional Significance: Unrealized dreams are often tied to strong emotions, such as passion, hope, or longing. They reflect what truly matters to a person.
  2. Potential for Growth: These dreams often push individuals out of their comfort zones, encouraging personal development and resilience.
  3. Tension Between Reality and Aspiration: Unrealized dreams highlight the gap between where a person is and where they want to be, creating a sense of motivation or, at times, frustration.
  4. Timelessness: Some dreams remain unrealized for years or even a lifetime, yet they continue to inspire and drive individuals forward.

Examples of Unrealized Dreams

  • A musician who dreams of recording an album but hasn’t yet found the resources or time.
  • An entrepreneur who envisions building a successful startup but is still in the planning stages.
  • A traveler who longs to visit every continent but has only explored a few so far.
  • A writer who has a novel in their mind but hasn’t yet put it to paper.

Why Are Unrealized Dreams Important?

  1. They Inspire Action: Unrealized dreams motivate people to set goals, take risks, and work toward something meaningful.
  2. They Reflect Identity: Dreams often reveal a person’s values, passions, and sense of purpose.
  3. They Encourage Resilience: The pursuit of a dream, even if unrealized, builds character and teaches valuable lessons.
  4. They Connect Us to Others: Sharing dreams fosters empathy and understanding, as most people have aspirations they haven’t yet achieved.

The Journey Matters

While the term “unrealized dream” might sound negative, it’s important to recognize that the process of pursuing a dream is often as valuable as achieving it. The journey teaches patience, perseverance, and creativity. Even if a dream remains unrealized, the effort put into it can lead to unexpected opportunities, growth, and fulfillment.

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Posted on by Max Herrera

Setting Accessible Goals

Setting accessible goals is a mandatory requirement to achieve our dreams, victories, and even to emotionally satisfy and promote social development. Undoubtedly, we have to focus our efforts and energy in order to fuel our projects and turn them into a successful reality. In practice, however, we should avoid dispersing our energy through several dreams at once. Instead, what we have to do is to choose one or two dreams and focus all our energy and resources solely on them. Obviously, this simple advice is dictated by common sense, but it is also a fact which is often completely overlooked, leading to a great waste of dynamical, physical, mental and economic energy.

accessible goals

Another important tip is to understand that some dreams can come true immediately while others do not. Setting and following accessible goals determine, firstly, that the happiest people are precisely those which set achievable goals. A small goal is conquered in less time and produces a little happiness. As time goes by, many small goals form a great result that produces an enormous happiness.

In summary:

  1. To achieve a goal, first we have find in ourselves the will to achieve that goal.
  2. Goals must be accessible and realistic.
  3. A goal is realistic and accessible and when we have the possibility to conquer it.
  4. A goal is unaccessible when it is beyond our actual capabilities.
  5. The best way to conquer a goal is to divide it into small steps of increasing difficulty.
  6. People who divide their goals into small steps move forward faster than those that set goals which prove to be too high.
  7. If a person set unaccessible goals, he will probably fail, and will start doubting himself, giving up about such project and perhaps he will not try again.
  8. Every person needs to set goals which allow him to move forward, learn, grow and succeed.

Think about these simple facts before setting and redefining your goals 🙂 Also, visualize your goals.

Posted on by Max Herrera

Short-term Goals to Enhance your Leadership

As a leader, honing your skills and continually striving for improvement is essential. Previously I explained the 7 Attributes of Leadership. Now here are some practical suggestions and short-term goals you can set to enhance your leadership traits:

  1. Effective Communication: Practice active listening, ask for feedback, and clearly articulate your vision and expectations. Remember that, in essence, effective communication for a leader encompasses the ability to convey messages clearly and unambiguously, actively listen to others, show empathy towards team members’ perspectives, align non-verbal cues with verbal messages to convey sincerity and confidence (this is very important and oftenly overlooked), offer and receive feedback constructively, adapt communication styles to suit different audiences, maintain transparency to build trust and credibility, ensure consistency in messages to avoid confusion, encourage dialogue for open communication and idea sharing, resolve conflicts calmly and constructively, and create a positive work environment that fosters collaboration and productivity through honest, open, and respectful communication practices (you may want to set a goal to hold regular check-ins with your team to foster open communication).
  2. Lead by Example: In short: be a role model for your team by demonstrating the behavior and work ethic you expect from them. Leading by example means showing others how to act and behave by doing those things yourself. Leaders who lead by example are like superheroes who always do the right thing first, so others can see and follow them. Leaders will set a good path for others to follow by doing good things themselves. Thereby make a goal to showcase your values through your actions every day.
  3. Embrace Diversity: Encourage diverse perspectives within your team by actively seeking out input from different team members. This means welcoming and appreciating people from different backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives. It’s like having a big box of crayons with many colors, and each color is unique and special. Leaders who embrace diversity understand that everyone brings something different and valuable to the team, just like how each color makes a beautiful picture. They listen to different ideas, respect everyone’s differences, and make sure that everyone feels included and heard. By embracing diversity, leaders create a team where everyone feels accepted, respected, and valued for who they are, making the group stronger and more successful together. In essence, a great leader will create an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued.
  4. Develop Emotional Intelligence: Work on understanding your emotions and those of others, and learn to handle conflicts with emotional intelligence. Developing emotional intelligence involves understanding and managing your own emotions as well as being aware of and empathetic towards others’ emotions. One way to work on this is by practicing active listening, where you focus on what someone is saying without interrupting and try to understand their feelings. For example, when a friend is sad, you can listen to them and offer support without judging. Another way is to reflect on your own emotions and reactions to different situations. For instance, when you feel angry, take a moment to think about why you’re feeling that way and how you can respond calmly. By being mindful of both your own emotions and those of others, you can improve your emotional intelligence over time.
  5. Delegate Responsibilities: Trust your team members with tasks and empower them to make decisions. You should delegate more effectively by matching tasks to team members’ strengths: effective delegation as a leader involves assigning tasks to team members based on their strengths, skills, and interests while providing clear guidelines and expectations. For example, if you have a team member who excels at graphic design, you could delegate a project requiring those skills to them. Communication is key – clearly outline the task, deadlines, and desired outcome. Check in periodically to offer support and guidance but also allow autonomy and trust in your team’s abilities. By delegating responsibilities effectively, you empower team members, increase productivity, and foster a sense of ownership and accountability within the team.
  6. Continuous Learning: Commit to lifelong learning and stay updated on industry trends and developments. Attend leadership workshops, read leadership books, or take online courses. For a leader, continuous learning involves seeking knowledge and insights from various sources to enhance their skills and decision-making abilities. Studying classics like “The Art of War” allows leaders to gain timeless wisdom and strategic thinking applicable to modern-day challenges. By delving into such seminal works, leaders can extract valuable lessons on leadership, conflict resolution, and decision-making that can be adapted and applied in their own roles. For example, Sun Tzu’s principles in “The Art of War” can offer insights on strategic planning, understanding competition, and the importance of adaptability in leadership scenarios. Wisdom is your goal.
  7. Build Relationships: Invest time in building strong relationships with your team members. You might need to schedule one-on-one meetings to get to know each team member better. It’s also very important to build a powerful network of contacts.
  8. Encourage Innovation: Support creativity and innovation within your team by creating a safe space for sharing new ideas and experimenting with different approaches. As a leader, you can boost innovation in your organization by creating a culture that values creativity, experimentation, and collaboration. Encourage open communication channels where ideas are welcomed and employees feel empowered to share their thoughts. Provide resources and support for innovation initiatives, such as dedicated time for research and development projects, training programs, and access to technology. Inspire your team to think outside the box and drive innovation across the organization.
  9. Provide Recognition: Acknowledge and appreciate your team’s hard work and achievements. Learn to give specific, timely feedback and recognize individual and team accomplishments. Specially, and related to the previous goal, recognize and reward innovative thinking to motivate employees and reinforce a culture of continuous improvement.
  10. Time Management: Improve your time management skills to prioritize tasks effectively and avoid burnout. Set a goal to create a daily schedule that allows time for strategic planning and personal development.
  11. Conflict Resolution: Develop strategies for resolving conflicts within your team. As a leader, developing effective conflict resolution strategies involves several key steps. First, create an open and supportive environment: cultivate open communication within your team to encourage members to express concerns and issues freely. Then listen actively to all parties involved in the conflict to understand their perspectives and feelings. At this point, you’ll have to identify the root cause of the problem: get to the core of the conflict by understanding the underlying issues causing tension or disagreements. An effective approach to solve organizational conflicts is encouraging collaboration, allowing team members to work together to find a mutually agreeable solution. Facilitate discussions and brainstorming sessions to resolve conflicts. A truly great leader acts as a mediator to help guide the resolution process. Encourage team members to focus on problem-solving rather than blame. It’s also important to set clear expectations: clearly outline team goals, roles, and responsibilities to prevent future conflicts arising from misunderstandings. Finally, check in with team members after the conflict has been resolved to ensure that the solution is working effectively. Provide support and guidance if needed.
  12. Lead with Integrity: Uphold ethical standards and be transparent in your decision-making. Consistently act with honesty and integrity, even in challenging situations, in order to build trust. Demonstrating honesty and integrity fosters trust among team members and stakeholders. Trust is essential for effective communication, collaboration, and overall team performance. It also sets a positive example, as leaders serve as role models for their teams. By upholding ethical values even in difficult times, you’ll inspire others to follow suit and maintain high standards of behavior. Acting with honesty and integrity will also enhance your credibility. It ensures that your decisions and actions are respected and trusted by others, even in challenging or uncertain circumstances. Besides, being honest and acting with integrity promotes transparency and truth within the organization. This helps in building a culture of openness and accountability, which leads to better problem-solving and decision-making. Don’t forget that a consistent adherence to ethical principles builds a foundation for long-term success. It helps in creating a positive work environment, retaining top talent, and fostering a strong organizational reputation. Remember, reputation is key and once it’s lost it’s hard or impossible to regain.
  13. Seek Mentorship: Find a mentor who can provide guidance and support in your leadership journey. Seek advice from experienced leaders and learn from their insights. This is related to the sixth goal, Continuous Learning.
  14. Flexibility and Adaptability: Be open to change and ready to adapt to new circumstances. Embrace uncertainty and lead your team through transitions with resilience. Randomness is a fact of an organization’s life. Navigating uncertainty in organizational decision-making involves gathering pertinent information, employing scenario planning to prepare for various outcomes, conducting risk assessments, embracing flexibility to adapt swiftly, engaging stakeholders for diverse perspectives, developing a resilient culture, and emphasizing continuous learning to refine strategies.
  15. Self-Care: Prioritize self-care to maintain your well-being and lead effectively. Practice mindfulness, exercise regularly, and take breaks to recharge.

Finally, as a bonus, learn to visualize goals.

Posted on by Max Herrera

Innovation: A Path to Personal Growth

Herman Melville said: “It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation“. I totally agree. Let’s try. Let’s pursue innovation and originality. Most of time, our inner fears lie in failure… the fear to fail. In itself, fear is not that bad. It reminds us of dangers and the possibility of losses, and motivates us to think our actions carefully. But fear should be controlled. Fear should not paralyze us. I’ll try that idea in which I believe. I believe in myself, in my ideas, and thereby, I’ll pursue my goals, my projects. The process of trying is, already, our first reward. Let’s enjoy it.

At the core of innovation lies the courage to challenge the status quo, to question established norms, and to push the boundaries of what is deemed possible. It is a mindset that embraces experimentation, embraces risk-taking, and embraces the unknown, recognizing that true progress is often born out of stepping beyond the confines of familiarity. When individuals embrace innovation in their lives, they open themselves up to a world of endless possibilities, where creativity flourishes and new horizons beckon.

One of the greatest obstacles to innovation is the fear of failure. Our inner fears often manifest as doubts and hesitations, whispering cautionary tales of potential setbacks and disappointments. However, it is essential to understand that failure is not the end but rather a stepping stone on the path to success. Embracing failure as a natural part of the innovation process allows individuals to learn, adapt, and grow, gaining valuable insights that pave the way for future breakthroughs.

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Posted on by Max Herrera

Visualizing your Goals

A goal is a very specific result that we want to achieve in a precise, future time. It’s an experience not yet lived, although firmly wished. Let’s recall from our first post about goals, that an objective or goal is a personal or perhaps organizational desired end point in development. It is usually endeavored to be reached in finite time by setting deadlines. Albeit goals, dreams and expectations are related concepts, there are important differences that will be discussed further on. As it often occurs with dreams, there are virtually no limits on the number of goals we may set, since goals represent, in essence, states or things that we wish to achieve in the future. Unlike dreams, though, goals require that we define them precisely, and we have to work for them in the present time, right now. Thereby, goals are nearer, within reach.

visualizing goals

Goals and Expectations

We should not confuse goals and expectations. Goals are the concrete and positive result of a fulfilled wish, and they provide satisfaction and success. On its side, expectations are focused on the behavior that we expect from other people. Setting a goal also means directing all our efforts towards achieving the goal, combining several tasks in order to attain it. However, to have an expectation reduces to delegating our wishes to the lucky concurrence of external factors.

Therefore, setting goals helps us to empower strategies, to create effectivity and to dominate the process of achieving whatever thing we wish. Besides, our goals create new opportunities, and improve our capacity for overcoming obstacles and conquering unexpected hurdles. As we move forward and reach the little goals that we had set, we also have the feeling of walking our paths faster, with a boosted self-confidence and a diminishing desire to return to the past. By the way, when we feel little or no desire to return to the past, we can be sure that we have improved as human beings.

Goals and Dreams

As aforesaid, a difference between goals and dreams lies in the time required for reaching them. Goals are closer. Besides, motivation also establishes a notorious difference between goals and dreams. We have more immediate and realistic motivations for reaching goals. On the contrary, dreams’ motivation is typically diffuse, sometimes very unclear.

However, dreams are the ultimate fuel of life, no matter how fuzzy they may be. As life moves on, we will feel the dream, approach the dream, dream the dream… we will be continuously reshaping the dream. Dreams are, after all, made of a very malleable matter. In life, we walk towards the sun, and our sun is composed of just dreams. Every step toward such sun kills a doubt. And each of such steps is a goal.

Organizing our Goals

We have to prepare a few lists for visualizing our goals and, in general, our action and thinking paths. When we write down our goals in a list, we are defining and outlining a plan to reach the goals. We are committing ourselves to fulfilling them based on practical aspects. On the contrary, the list of dreams contains relatively remote possibilities, excepting perhaps the first or second dream. In order to reach the first dream of the list, we have to conquer a chain of goals. In short, goals are the intermediate steps required for achieving the ultimate objective of your life.

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Posted on by Max Herrera

Rich and Even Richer

We are already accustomed to financial media regularly releasing statistical reports and rankings of the people that lead and have accumulated an important allotment of the world’s money. For instance, Forbes magazine published its annual Japanese ranking a few months ago. For most of us, it’d be wonderful, impressive, and even magical, to someday read our names in such lists. A lot of people only dream of being there. But reality often reveals otherwise. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of luck, or inherited fortunes. But we’ll disregard such cases, as uninteresting for analysis. The norm is that becoming rich requires plenty of sacrifices, and above all, extraordinary efforts. It’s not easy. However, it’s not impossible to reach such goal. Powerful souls set exceptional goals.

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Posted on by Max Herrera

The Art of Saving

Saving refers to the preservation of money for future use. Such future use might include capital and goods purchase (house, transport, vacations, etc.), emergencies, and miscellaneous expenses. Strictly speaking, saving is the difference between our income and our consumption expenditure. Besides, saving is our main tool to cope with mortgages, credit card debt, extraordinary bills, and other loans. Without savings, such debt and expenditures may sharply erode our personal finances. Saving also allows for harnessing sudden investment opportunities and to gain access to quality services. All in all, saving is a fundamental aspect of personal finance.

Money has to be tightly controlled. We must know where money comes from, and where it goes to. We must strive to know the way our money flows, the paths it travels, and the drains taking most of our income. By closely watching our money’s nature, we’ll learn to control it. Control is a keyword of personal finance. Control refers to checking the errors we are incurring with our money’s management, and to take the corrective action to rectify any deviation from our desired goals. Setting goals is other important requirement for saving, and it answers the question what are we saving for ?

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The Winners’ Mind

What is your relation with your money? Money is a necessary thing, and to have and to win money is not a sin (rhyme intended 🙂 ). On the other hand, to live for money is not only a sin but a stupidity. We, as integral human beings, are of much more value than any material concept. This is something I insist a lot in my business seminars: look for money, but never lend your heart to money. In other words, win money, but don’t let money to win you.

Who are the Winners?

Winners are fortunate people, indeed. But except for rare cases, most of their fortune stems from hard work, and more importantly, from a sound and clear mindset. Winners have no time (nor wish) to be moaning about the “harshness of life.” Winners don’t complain about such things, because they understand that life, like a river, exhibits turbulent episodes in some parts, but caress and nourish the surrounding nature, all the way.

Positive Attitude in The Winners’ Mind

Nevertheless, all these years I’ve known a lot of people who are frequently bitching about their lack of money or general misfortune, but what they are indeed lacking is a positive attitude toward their money. Now, what does this “positive attitude” notion mean? Let’s start by answering a few questions:

  • What really are the kind of thoughts that flood our minds when we think of our money?
  • Which are the words we utter when speaking about our money and related things (such as mortgage, bank, expenses, etc.)?
  • In the past, how much success have we attained by spending and investing our money?

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Posted on by Max Herrera

Achieving Personal Goals

Achieving personal goals.
Achieving your personal goals.

Hello, this is the first content post in You can’t stop the journey. Here, we’ll speak about achieving personal goals. First, do you know what a goal is? According to Wikipedia’s entry:

An objective or goal is a personal or organizational desired end point in development. It is usually endeavored to be reached in finite time by setting deadlines.

And that’s it. A personal goal is that thing you really want to achieve. Normally, achieving personal goals is not an isolated thing. On the contrary, they imply several subgoals you have to reach first. In this sense, we have to define how we are going to conduct ourselves in order to reach the subgoals. Remember, it’s not only the arriving point what matters… the integrity you show while following your path is the most important fact.

Now, what are your life’s goals? Or better stated, what do you want? Money? Family? Health? Education? Fame? A superb job? Please, answer this first honestly. Reaching goals that hold personal meaning to you increases the feeling of happiness. Oh, and… where do you belong? To the material or to the spiritual type?

Now, before continuing, do you have the bases to achieve your general goals? Let’s assume you want that very-well-paid-job. Do you have the required education? No? Then you have to introduce a subgoal related to academic formation. Yes? Then, have you researched the job’s field thoroughly? Do you know the current information trends related to that job? Do you know what is the state-of-the-art in such knowledge area? Do you know who are the best representants of that job? What are the biggest companies? Now, do you have a solid contacts network? Please, start thinking, and start answering.

My own goal with this post is to flame your awareness, cognition and self-view on yourself. That’s the starting point of the journey we will be revisiting in upcoming posts.