We all have visions of what we want in our lives. But to make them real we need to have an “action plan.” Henry David Thoreau captured this idea in his famous quote “If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.”
How to Live the Dream – OMR
Building the foundation can be done by borrowing a management philosophy that circulated in organizations many years ago titled OMR. That was it – the whole model. No more. No less. No hidden meanings no secret codes. Just OMR – Outcome, Method, Resources.
The critical element of the model is its sequence. It is based on what produces the best overall results. All elements are important but the order is crucial.
The idea behind it is that you don’t allow the method of achievement nor the resources available to drive the train. If you let “resources” or “methods” act as your primary concern then your “outcome” will only reflect the constraints. The outcome will become a prisoner to your methodology and what you believe is available to you.
So… you:
1) Create the vision and then
2) Design the strategy and lastly
3) Secure the resource
In other words, you don’t limit yourself by thinking “oh, I don’t have the money” or by thinking “I wouldn’t even know where to begin,” instead you craft the idea and the other pieces will then emerge in support of the idea.
Now, I put on my psychology hat to help you actually reach this goal: there are some questions you must answer in each phase – in some ways a gut check about the dream.
For optimal results consider OUTCOME first – and some of the questions you should ask:
What do I really want to happen?
What is the result that I am looking for?
What will the dream look like?
Is the dream really my dream or is it someone else’s?
Second determine the METHOD – and some of the questions you should ask:
What is the strategy to reach my dream?
What are the different pieces of the puzzle?
What are the steps that need to happen?
What is the sequence of steps?
Last focus on the RESOURCES – and some of the questions you should ask:
What do I need in order to make this happen?
Am I willing to pay the price for my dream? (whatever that might be)
Do I have the tenacity to stick it out until it becomes real?
Who are the people I should involve?
Staying connected to your dreams is what provides life purpose. However, some people allow themselves to be discouraged from dreaming by others. Some people are cautious about reaching too high because of past letdowns and others lack the confidence to risk being a dreamer. Don’t let that happen to you.
The answer lies in the cocktail of vision and reality and the path to accomplishment is OMR. And yes, you can begin living the dream by making a sincere declaration of what you want from life and then working to achieve it.
Read more on Are you Living the Dream to get more tips.
Dr. Ines K. Roe has been helping women in transition rediscover themselves for over 20 years. If you’ve been feeling unfulfilled, are frustrated with your sense of accomplishment in midlife, or simply need guidance on your path to holistic well being, join her ecourses.
Excellent. Exactly what I needed to read this morning – an outline to achieve my dreams. Sometimes we lose our way; this places me back again on the right path. OMR…
Don’t you find that people stop before they start simply because they lack an action plan? It makes me crazy!
Love this. OMR is a great, practical way to start making dreams come true.
OMR sounds like a super way to visualize exactly what you want. Now if I could only be better about follow through!
I just love OMR! I find when I even start thinking about taking action – I feel so empowered and free.
I love these steps, I just need to do them. I am doing the dreaming, just not the implementing
I do think that developing action plans is a learned activity. We taught our girls at a young age, and they do it naturally. But I had a young adult relative here a while ago, who is floundering and in an effort to help him visualize how he could go to college, I asked him if he had anyone at home to help him develop his strategy. He looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language. I did what I could, but 6 months later, no action plan from him. Sigh.
OMR ~ This needs to be taught in grade school!
I love OMR, Ines. It gives those who are not natural planners the perfect way to think about a successful plan! The question that, without fail, helps me move to the next level is this: Why am I not there now? Helps me define my obstacles just a bit better and makes it easier to draw the map!
Thanks so much!
Seems like a sensible approach. Know what your end or desired outcome you want, how do you get there and what tools do you need. Its seems a different language from what is talked about in social media- mostly they use terms like: have a strategy, a marketing plan- CTA- but it all means the same thing. OMR- is easy to remember. Bet people think the R stands for results forgetting that is the O.
OMR is great, sound advice. So many people give up on their dreams without ever taking the time to see if they can really achieve them. It just gets all twisted up in their minds where they can not see it clearly and then set it to the side with negative thinking. Great post. Put it in writing and create the plan you need to be successful.
I believe that most of my decisions are based on this without even realizing it. I dream big and never limit myself by what I am lacking
OMR – Outcome, Method, Resources…. a great way to stay focused on those dreams. Knowing what outcome you want is so important otherwise you will not stay focused and know what method or resources you will need to accomplish that outcome… a complete circle. Thanks.
OMR is great! Outcome is the critical and most important part on your dreams and visions!
Great words of wisdom here, and look forward to your 7 days 🙂 The magic is in the vision, plan and action ~ do you think we often overthink because of our self doubts, our limiting beliefs?
I like the OMR strategy. It’s a lot easier to get things done if you have the outcome clearly pictured in your mind. When you can ‘see’ it, and you really want it, you’ll find a way, and the resources. This reminds me somewhat of Wayne Dyer’s philosophy of thinking from the end. Nice post – glad I had the chance to read it.