Author Chris Carosa Shares “How the Lifetime Dream ProcessSM Forever Changed My Life”
Do you aspire to be a better parent, a smarter worker or a leader in your community? Do you dream of a time when your money worries disappear while you have what you need, what you want and what makes you feel your best?
Like you, I’ve had these very same feelings since before I can remember.
But, what I do remember is how I started on the journey that allowed me to achieve my lifetime dream. Here are just a few samples of some of the places I’ve visited during this wonderfully thrilling and fulfilling expedition:
Family
- I’ve always wanted to be married and have a family. (I have a wonderful wife and three lovely, exciting and engaging children.)
- I’ve always wanted the freedom to enjoy participating in my kids’ growing up. (I quit my job when I was only 36 years old to have more time for my kids and I’m still lucky enough to own a business where I can go to a dance recital, diving competition or football game at a moment’s notice.)
- I’ve always wanted to be a good role model for my children. (I’ve been a coach, a Cubmaster and highly visible volunteer for many of my kids’ activities – and the ones I couldn’t do my wife did.)
Personal
- I’ve always wanted to visit the town my grandfather came from. (I travelled to Fontecchio, Italy in my twenties and was met with open arms, open bottles of wine and wide-open smiling eyes.)
- I’ve always enjoyed writing and wanted to share it with more people. (I started a personal blog a while back and regularly post my various musings and I’ve had the joy of receiving much pleasurable feedback.)
- I’ve always wanted to do something to promote Western New York to those well beyond Western New York. (Not only did I start a business that gave Western New York well deserved national recognition, but I’ve also created a web-site dedicated to all things that make Western New York great and helped to found a regularly occurring conference bringing professionals from all over the country to come see the good Western New York can offer them.)
Business
- I’ve always wanted to own a newspaper. (I created – and sold – a newspaper that, despite the overall decline in the industry, still thrives today.)
- I’ve always wanted to own my own firm. (I took the money I got selling the newspaper and created another business even more successful than the newspaper – at least judged by the national media attention its received virtually from the day I started it!)
- I’ve always wanted to help my wife and children start a business. (Well, MightyMovieMoments.com is there – now it’s up to them to make something of it!)
Professional
- I’ve always wanted to earn the respect and trust of my peers. (I’ve had the honor to be voted president of and to lead no less than three professional groups.)
- I’ve always wanted to be recognized nationally as a leader in my industry. (For years I’ve been a speaker at various industry conferences, associations and other meetings.)
- I’ve always wanted to actively contribute to my profession. (In 2005 my research paper won a national prize and I’m currently writing articles for FiduciaryNews.com – an on-line news site industry insiders have been drawn to in ever increasing numbers.)
Intellectual
- I’ve always wanted to do something special in the field of astronomy – my first intellectual love. (During the United Nation’s International Year of Astronomy in 2009, I created a multi-national outreach project that involved at least five of the seven continents, many more countries and literally thousands of people – you can see it here at AstronomyTop100.com.)
- I’ve always wanted to publish a book. (I published my first book – Due Diligence: The Independent Trustee’s Guide to Selecting and Monitoring a Professional Investment Adviser – more than a decade ago.)
- I’ve always wanted to help encourage the interest in science among younger people. (I’ve helped quite a few robotics teams and serve on the board of the Yale Science and Engineering Association.)
Community
- I’ve always wanted to run for and be elected to political office. (At 31, I was the youngest member ever voted into my local Town Council and I had to run two successful campaigns – a primary and the general election – to earn that privilege.)
- I’ve always wanted to be viewed as leader in my community. (I serve on several community non-profit boards.)
- I’ve always wanted to make a difference in my community. (Several years ago I got all the youth organizations – including the school district – to sign a “Compact” agreeing to share the time of the youth in our community.)
Fun
- I’ve always wanted to be on the radio. (I was a top-rated AM DJ – when AM still played music.)
- I’ve always wanted to write a stage production and see it produced. (In 2007 I wrote a musical comedy called The Macaroni Kid and saw it performed to sell-out crowds. And I just completed my second play called Gangsters in Love.)
- I’ve always wanted to write a novel. (Not only did I write my first novel – A Life Full of Wonder – in 2005, but I’m now working on my second work of fiction!)
Does that sound like a lot? Do you think it was hard work? Are you guessing I have some special talent, education or “million-dollar” business that allows me to accomplish these things?
If you’re thinking that, you’re wrong. My formal education is in the field of Physics and Astronomy. Although I would study the field again in a second, it ultimately proved to have nothing to do with my career. I never won the lottery, I don’t live off a trust fund and I take home only a modest salary.
Quite simply, my only advantage – if you can even call it that – has been the ability to carefully identify my goals, envision the critical steps necessary to achieve those goals and then manage my time so I could complete those tasks. This was all done with little to no anxiety, no undue sacrifice and all the while enjoying the things I like (for example, watching Buffalo Bills games from front row seats) with friends, family, co-workers and my community.
And now there’s a new thing I’d like to do. I’d like to share this successful process with you. Created when I was a sophomore in college (for more info, read “Leon Tec’s Targets – The Book That Started It All”), I’ve since shared The Lifetime Dream ProcessSM with family and clients for more than a decade now. Over that time, I’ve continually improved this process. I can now reveal it through this site chapter by chapter (hint: Part V explains why I’ve described my journey above using those seven bold headings) to anyone interested in doing the things they’ve always wanted to.
Are you ready for the best trip you’ve ever taken?
Itching to get started? Then read How to Use this Site.