Rachel Hollis is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and founder of a multimillion-dollar media company so when she sets out to write about how to set goals and crush them, you listen. In Girl, Stop Apologizing, Hollis asks that women stop talking themselves out of their dreams and start chasing them. She identifies the excuses to let go of , the behaviors to adopt, and the skills to acquire on the path to growth. I am going to go into detail on one chapter of her book in which she breaks down her invented concept of “10, 10, 1.” This numerical equation of sorts defines a process she created called ten years, ten dreams, one goal.
Hollis asks “Who do you want to be in ten years? What are the ten dreams that would make that a reality for you? Which one of those dreams are you going to turn into a goal and focus on next?” (Hollis 98). Hollis encourages you to write down as fast as you can on a piece of paper what this future version of yourself may look like. What kind of car does she drive? What does she do for work? Is she a runner?
When I did this exercise the following came spewing out onto my page: My future self has a career and degree in the arts. I own and drive an Audi. I wake up every day feeling energized and ready to take on the world. I start with a morning coffee and work on my latest novel for an hour or two. Then I go into work at my dream job of arts journalist or arts professor. I come home and make dinner for my husband (because in this fantasy I am a really good cook). I then head out to run around my neighborhood (because yes, in this scenario, I am a homeowner as well) to train for the marathon I am running in a couple of months.
Hollis then says to take your vision and break it down into ten dreams over the span of ten years. She says to choose ten dreams that, if they were to come true, would make your future self real. My ten dreams are as follows: Marathon Runner, Writer and Blogger, Career in the Arts, Driver and owner of a luxury car, Home or Condo owner, live in a big city, have a degree in the arts, married, visual artist or photographer, Instagram influencer.
“Now here’s the key: write down those ten dreams in a notebook every single day. And write them as if they’ve already happened” explains Hollis it’s about repetition and maintaining a focus on those goals. You want to remind yourself of who you should be.
Now that you have come up with ten dreams in ten years, it’s time to focus on the one goal you could be working on currently to make your future self a reality. I have decided that this year my main goal is to go to driver’s school and get the next class of my license. This will bring me closer to my future self who as I discussed earlier drives and owns a luxury car.
That sums up my brief introduction into Hollis’ 10,10, 1 process and whether it works or motivates me will be determined. I will be sure to write a blog on my progress with my one goal for this year in about six months. But until then stay tuned! And remember to write down those dreams as a reminder of who you want to be and what each day you are striving to achieve. Hopefully it’ll light a fire under your ass and push you to work for more.
Girl, Stop Apologizing and Start To Hustle!