We all have dreams. The ones we keep secret and hope we’ll finally work on, and make come true one day. What holds us back is how daunting they can be. They seem too big or impossible to become reality for many reasons. But what if there was a way to make them come true? What if you had a step-by-step guide to turning your dreams into a reality? Keep reading and we’ll show you how.
First Things First
You need to lay out your plan. You need to define your dream. Be clear about what it is exactly that you dream of and want to achieve. Have a “why”. It becomes easier to achieve your goals if they hold significant meaning and are connected to a purpose. “Why” do you want this? What does your dream look like? Ask yourself what your vision is. Write it down. Putting pen to paper will help you stay focused and motivated. And more than that, once you’ve written it down, it becomes real and not just an aspiration that you can’t hold yourself to.
Set Goals
There are a lot of reasons why you’ve struggled to make headway towards your dreams. Perhaps self-doubt, lack of guidance, motivation, lack of finances, or a host of other reasons. The ultimate trick to not just achieving your goals but succeeding in them is to set SMART goals. These give your dream direction and you can revert to them if you want to check how you are doing.
What are SMART goals?
- SPECIFIC – Be specific about your goals. Don’t leave it at “I want to study further”. Example: I want to study coding to help me get that promotion at work.
- MEASURABLE – How will you measure the success of your goal? Is it one that can be measured and what metric will you use? Example: I will complete all assessments and check in with my course instructor on how I am doing and progressing.
- ATTAINABLE – Be honest with yourself. Is the goal you are setting realistic? Nobody wants to be a dream killer but setting a goal to be a Grammy-winning artist when you can’t hold a note isn’t realistic and very unlikely unattainable. Example: On weekends I will take singing classes and hire a vocal coach to help improve my singing skills.
- RELEVANT – Is the goal or dream you have set aligned with who you are and your values? Example: I enjoy helping people and find fulfilment in it; therefore, taking courses in understanding mental health and being a caregiver will help me serve people better.
- TIME-BOUND – What time frame have you set to achieve your dream and goal? If you aim at nothing, you will hit it. So, you need to set down a timeline of when you hope to achieve the dream by being flexible to other elements you may not be able to control. Example: Within two years, I want to move to a team lead or supervisory role.
Make a Plan
Now that your goals are defined, the next step is to draw up a plan to achieve your dream. Have you ever heard the question, ‘How do you eat an elephant?’ At first glance, it seems insurmountable, right? Where do you begin? Can you even finish it? The answer is ‘yes, you can’. The answer is you eat an elephant one bite at a time.
- Break it down: the idea is you need to break your dream down into smaller, bite-sized, and achievable pieces.
- Identify potential obstacles: what challenges do you anticipate getting in your way?
- Find solutions: what steps can you take to overcome these challenges and obstacles?
- Take the first bite: the first step towards your dreams.
Take small steps every day to get you closer to the dream. Remember to track your progress as you go. This helps you stay on course and reevaluate whether your plan is working or the best course of action to take to fix things.
Put in the Work
Dreams don’t magically happen. They need work. In the same way as you don’t simply win the lottery, you need to go out, pick your numbers, and pay for the ticket. No one is going to make your dream come true for you. It’s all up to you. Everything worth having is worth fighting for, right? Imagine the sense of pride and achievement you’ll feel when you start seeing the results. You need to develop a strong work ethic, go the extra mile, let go of the excuses and work.
Be Prepared to Make Sacrifices
The reason many people don’t go after their dreams is that they aren’t willing to pay the cost. Understandably so. It’s not easy and perhaps also why only a handful of people live out their dreams. If your dream is to own your own house then you need to make financial sacrifices to pay that deposit which means cutting back on nights out, shopping for a cute top or game, or simply spending without a second thought. Sacrifices don’t mean that this will be your life forever. But it does mean that for a short while, you won’t get to enjoy all the little pleasures. Remind yourself you will be able to do so again soon.
Surround Yourself With the Right People
“You’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with,” wrote American entrepreneur Jim Rohn. This is true not just when you’re pursuing your dreams but for everything you do in life. It drives home the importance of surrounding yourself with people who will inspire and motivate you. Let Rohn’s catchphrase spur you to action.
- Remove the negative: this doesn’t mean cutting people out of your life but means you could spend less time with those who discourage you or give you reasons to quit.
- Find your experts: go out and find people that you look up to and who are successful or experts in their field. These people don’t have to have travelled your exact path, but they have tried (and failed), learned lessons along the way, and stayed the course. Seek their counsel and ask them to share their secrets to success.
- Build your community: these are your friends and family who not only share your dream and want to see you succeed but are willing to help you and carry the cost of your sacrifices. These people will encourage you along the way and offer support along your journey.
- Ask for help. There is no shame in recognising you don’t know the answers, which next step to take, or what to do. Nobody has all the answers at the start of the journey.
Keep Your Eye on the Prize
You are bound to face challenges. You may get discouraged and want to quit. It will get hard, and you’ll most likely start doubting yourself and wonder if the dream is worth it. It is.
Quitting is easy. Everyone does it. But this is where you get to dig deep, prove your mettle, and show just how much you want this dream. When you are tempted to quit, remember why you started and look at the progress (remember what we mentioned about tracking your progress?) you’ve made. If you fall, pause (don’t stop), and get back up and keep going. Remember that every step you take is taking you closer to your dream. The biggest obstacle we must overcome in pursuit of our dreams is our minds, and how we think about things and ourselves. It’s been said that “Whether you believe you can do it, or you can’t, you’re probably right.”
If you aren’t sure you have what it takes to go after your dreams, take our Workplace Personality Assessment below. This quick and easy assessment tests your strengths and weaknesses, and helps you discover more about who you are.
Tips for achieving your dreams
- Be confident and have a positive attitude
- Keep your eyes on the prize
- Be consistent
- Don’t be afraid to take on challenges and necessary risks in pursuit of your goals
- Drown out the voices of the naysayers
- Set up a good support system to push you
- Upskill yourself.
- Set a clear path and stick to it
- If you fail, fail forward
And remember, be flexible. Not in your goals, but in how you achieve your goals. You may not learn a language by living in that country just yet. But by taking courses online, joining groups, reading, and practising the language every day, in time, you’ll be in a better position to assimilate into the country when you finally make that move. Celebrate your wins, regardless of how small they seem. Things won’t always go as planned and that’s natural. But when you celebrate your wins, you release the “happy hormone” dopamine into your brain. This “feel good hormone” will push you to do more towards your goals and reinforce the behaviour that gets you there. If you can persevere through the challenges and overcome them, you can achieve your dream. Remember to have fun along the way. Enjoy the process. The future belongs to those who believe in the power of their dreams. You can join them!
