Do you dream big? In other words, if you love to bake and make crafts, could you be the next Martha Stewart—sans prison? You could: through creating lists of fantastic dreams.

Philosopher Henri Poincaré outlined a four-point path to creating. We’ll cover that soon. But for now, I’m going to show you a way to create big dreams, and strive for not just one but five or more thrilling goals. But how can you do five when one seems challenging? Well, your dreams all come from you?and most of your dreams overlap. That’s the exciting part; that’s why you need to write your dreams down: so, you can see the connections.

Here’s the process I did for mapping out giant overlapping goals. You can do the same thing.

Step 1: Write out a list of your thirty most grandiose dreams.
First, after listening to motivational clips, I wrote over thirty extreme dreams. The list included (1) become the Prime Minister, (2) become an Olympian wrestler, and (3) produce a blockbuster cinematic film. Any big dream or desire I ever had, I made even more grandiose.

Now you come up with thirty amazing dreams.

Step 2: Write out your list of mini-tasks under each big dream.
After I wrote down more than thirty dreams, I let the list percolate. I then broke the list into five to fifteen mini-tasks for each big dream.

Now you write down five to fifteen subtasks for each of your big dreams.

Step 3: Discover or stir desire for one of these big dreams.
The list laid dormant?until I stumbled on a job interview that spiked my passion for robotics and prototypes. Finally, I found the dream for me to pursue.

Now, keep alert for any opportunity that reveals the one big dream you can follow. Your subconscious will guide you. Discover your dream.

Step 4: Highlight this one big dream in blue. Highlight all the related mini-tasks you can do today in pink.
I returned to my list of thirty-plus amazing dreams, and highlighted the dream “build a robot” in bold blue. I then highlighted in bold pink all the mini-tasks (associated with building a robot) that I had already begun?or would start soon.

Now, you highlight the one big dream (and mini-tasks) that thrill you most.

Step 5: Discover the overlap in your big dreams.
But a surprising pattern emerged: Certain tasks geared for completing one dream reappeared for others. I highlighted the overlapping dreams with bold blue color.

Here’s what my overlapping dreams (in bold blue) included: (1) build robots, (2) make multimedia (tech) art exhibits in Banff, (3) teach seminars (on robotics), (4) make an ecommerce enterprise, (5) invent products to market and sell, and more.

Now you highlight in blue all of your overlapping dreams.

Hint 1: Watch for clues on your life’s purpose.
Watch for clues related to your list of big dreams and mini-tasks. Try novel experiences. By going out of your comfort zone, you’ll discover these clues. Each new clue directs you through life’s maze. And your life’s purpose is at the end of the maze.

Keep seeking clues in every novelty?present, past, or future.

Hint 2: Let your excitement accelerate your achievements.
But the catch is that the maze morphs into a more exciting maze with every clue and with every split second of dedication to your dreams. And the more excited you feel, the more you muster. I’m sure this action of acceleration marks how people accomplish the impossible.

Once you discover your passions, life will suck you into a state of excitement.

Hint 3: Consider Poincaré’s four-point model for creativity.
In her book titled How to Be Creative, Liz Dean outlines philosopher Henri Poincaré’s four-point model for creativity. The four-point-model reinforces some of my advice on dreaming big:

– Phase 1: intend on achieving a goal or solving a problem. Brainstorm or research [or list your wildest dreams as outlined above].
– Phase 2: Let your ideas incubate?or, in other words, sit idly. Your subconscious mind is working out your goal or problem. [By drafting your list of wildest dreams, you program your subconscious to detect opportunities.]
– Phase 3: At some point, a “flash” of inspiration will ignite in your consciousness. [Clues from new experiences can trigger this flash.]
– Phase 4: Evaluate your findings. [Evaluate the overlap in your dreams?and chase that mix of thrills.]

Step 6: Think in terms of ten-year goals.
So, your list of thirty dreams represents your forty-year-goal. Let life’s clues narrow your dreams to the one’s that overlap?these dreams form your ten-year goals.

Now figure out which dreams shape your ten-year goals. Now, get ready to ?

Step 7: Chase the dreams, one step at a time.
You have the power to chase?and achieve?the impossible. Take that first step. And then the next step. One-step-at-a-time is the only path to your dreams, said a motivational speaker. A paradox? I call it a creative spark!

One caveat: Life sometimes feeds you your pet’s pellets on a bun. Eat up; march on. After all, rabbit pellets are the source of some dogs’ veggies.