5 Ways Dreamers Can Become Doers

Maybe you’ve been called a dreamer your whole life—by others and by yourself. However, saying you are a dreamer or a doer is like saying you are good or bad. Nobody is 100 percent one way or the other, but they may lean more in one direction. It’s a spectrum, and the good news is that you can shift the paradigm so you’re a little more balanced.

Remember that being a doer isn’t necessarily better than being a dreamer. You need both to succeed. 

If you’re really off kilter and have a lot more dreamer tendencies, it’s time to take action. Here are some of the easiest, quickest ways to embrace your inner doer so your dreamer can take a little break. Remember, without a comprehensive, balanced approach you’ll just keep going in circles:

1. Write down goals and give them a deadline.

So, you say you want to write a novel and have it ready to submit to literary agent or publishing house. That’s awesome - but how far along are you? What do you define as “submission ready”? How long can you write per day, and is it scheduled into your routine just like work or going to the gym?

Depending on where you are with your draft, choose a deadline for being submission ready (less than two years out), or schedule mini-deadlines, such as two chapters written by month's end. This approach works for any goal, not just a novel manuscript.

2. Balance wants and needs.

 Every time you decide you want to do something, follow that up with a list of steps you need to take to make it happen. This might mean saving a certain amount of money for a special event like your wedding. If you want to save $10,000 in one year, look at your budget and figure out what you need to cut to make that happen. You might also need to pick up more hours at work, a second job or practice more frugal living.

When I decided for the first time to stop living paycheck to paycheck I sold the new BMW I was driving and bought an old Ford Focus. That was one of the best decisions I've ever made. It allowed me to save an extra $800 per month. After a year I had almost $10,000 in the bank, which allowed me to start my business, Pixloo, that eventually was acquired.

3. Surround yourself with doers.

Birds of a feather certainly flock together, but you probably have more doer acquaintances and friends than you realize. Who are your five best friends? Dreamers feed off of each other, but if you’re around doers they will inspire you. The staunchest ones aren’t quick to indulge your dreamer tendencies and will want to know what your plan is. Remember: you are in charge of your support network.

I surround myself with some of the best and brightest people in the world. 

4. Stop doing what doesn’t work.

You know Einstein’s definition of insanity, so why do you get stuck in that rut? If you’ve been dreaming about something but your attempts haven’t led to positive results, it is time to stop, reassess, figure out what’s wrong and try a fresh approach. You’ll never get anywhere making the same mistakes over and over again.

5. Assume everything will take longer and cost more.

One of the downsides of being a dreamer is that it is easy to think of everything as, well, easy during the dreaming stage. However, things have a tendency to take more money and time than you imagine. When writing down your action plan, increase time and money by ten percent and give yourself a buffer. The worst case scenario is you’ll succeed with time and money left over.

Don’t let your drive to be a doer brush your dreaming tendencies totally under the rug. It’s your source of inspiration, creativity. and means of reaching for the stars

7 Stupid Ways Smart People Sabotage Their Success

Some smart people can be insufferably elitist.

Sometimes the smartest people do things that seem to make no sense at all.

A group of Quora users drew from their experiences to address the question "What are some stupid things that smart people do?" The answers provide ways to overcome some of the common ways intelligent people unknowingly undermine themselves.

We've highlighted a few below.

1. They spend too much time thinking and not enough time doing.

"Because thinking comes so easily to smart people, doing becomes relatively harder. Research and planning are great in moderation, but can offer the dangerous illusion of progress," says Silicon Valley entrepreneurChris Yeh. Smart people who are perfectionists can get caught up in this kind of seemingly productive procrastination and often nitpick over minute details rather than finishing projects.

2. They follow the pack.

Venture for America's Andrew Yang has written extensively about the trend of top college graduates going into the same few industries equated with "making it," like finance and consulting, rather than following their passions. New York entrepreneur Lee Semel agrees: "Many smart people often seem to be followers, probably because they grow up spending so much time pleasing others via academic and extracurricular achievement that they never figure out what they really like to work on or try anything unique."

3. They stop trying.

People whose intelligence has helped them achieve a level of success can often get lazy. "These smart people fail to further develop their natural talents and eventually fall behind others who, while less initially talented, weren't as invested in being smart and instead spent more time practicing," Semel says.

4. They undervalue social skills.

Some intelligent people don't realize that intellect is only one element of achieving success, and that personal connections are everything in the professional world. "They never try to improve their social skills, learn to network, or self promote, and often denigrate people who excel in these areas," Semel says.

5. They place being right above all else.

Many smart people indulge a dangerous combination of ego and logic and behave as though being right all the time is somehow endearing (it's the opposite), Semel says. It's bad when they argue a point they're misinformed about, but it can be even more embarrassing for them when they insist on arguing facts against someone's long-held beliefs.

6. They equate education with intelligence.

A high academic pedigree can make some people think that where someone got their college degree reflects how smart they are, says Liz Pullen, a sociologist. In many cases, a degree from an elite university represents a great achievement, but there are countless instances where those who didn't graduate college are more qualified for a job due to their real-world experience.

7. They are too independent.

Smart people can fail to develop healthy support systems that everyone needs to succeed. "Without a good support system, anyone can begin to slide down a slippery slope when they encounter hardship, miscalculate something major, or fall victim to the misdeeds of others," says Quora user Andrea Martin. How do you develop a good support system? "Methodically place yourself in the company of the most mature, benevolent, competent people you can identify."