{"id":5003,"date":"2023-06-23T10:30:21","date_gmt":"2023-06-23T09:30:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/?p=5003"},"modified":"2024-03-21T15:10:24","modified_gmt":"2024-03-21T15:10:24","slug":"turn-your-dreams-into-reality-the-ultimate-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/turn-your-dreams-into-reality-the-ultimate-guide","title":{"rendered":"Turn Your Dreams into Reality: The Ultimate Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We all have dreams. The ones we keep secret and hope we\u2019ll 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.\u00a0 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\u2019ll show you how.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First Things First<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">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 \u201cwhy\u201d. It becomes easier to achieve your goals if they hold significant meaning and are connected to a purpose. \u201cWhy\u201d do you want this? What does your <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/alison.com\/course\/think-and-grow-rich-proven-strategies-to-achieve-your-dreams\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">dream<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 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\u2019ve written it down, it becomes real and not just an aspiration that you can\u2019t hold yourself to.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Set Goals<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are a lot of reasons why you\u2019ve struggled to make headway towards your dreams. Perhaps self-doubt, lack of guidance, motivation, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/alison.com\/affiliates\/learn-to-earn?utm_source=alison-blog&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=blog-affiliates\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">lack of finances<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, or a host of other reasons.\u00a0 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.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What are SMART goals?<\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><b>SPECIFIC<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; Be specific about your goals. Don\u2019t leave it at \u201cI want to study further\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>Example: I want to study coding to help me get that promotion at work<\/em>.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>MEASURABLE<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0&#8211; How will you <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/alison.com\/course\/the-ten-laws-for-personal-success?utm_source=alison-blog&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=blog-course-marketing\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">measure the success<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of your goal? Is it one that can be measured and what metric will you use? <\/span><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Example: I will complete all assessments and check in with my course instructor on how I am doing and progressing.<\/span><\/em><\/li>\n<li><b>ATTAINABLE <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211;<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Be honest with yourself. Is the goal you are setting realistic? Nobody wants to be a dream killer but <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/alison.com\/course\/goal-setting-mastery?utm_source=alison-blog&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=blog-course-marketing\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">setting a goal<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to be a Grammy-winning artist when you can\u2019t hold a note isn\u2019t realistic and very unlikely unattainable. <\/span><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Example: On weekends I will take singing classes and hire a vocal coach to help improve my singing skills.<\/span><\/em><\/li>\n<li><b>RELEVANT <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211; Is the goal or dream you have set aligned with who you are and your values? <\/span><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">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.<\/span><\/em><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/alison.com\/course\/time-management-mastery?utm_source=alison-blog&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=blog-course-marketing\"><b>TIME-BOUND<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; 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. <\/span><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Example: Within two years, I want to move to a team lead or supervisory role.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make a Plan<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now that your goals are defined, the next step is to draw up a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/alison.com\/course\/the-ultimate-guide-on-how-to-successfully-set-goals-and-achieve-them\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">plan to achieve<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> your dream. Have you ever heard the question, \u2018How do you eat an elephant?\u2019 At first glance, it seems insurmountable, right? Where do you begin? Can you even finish it? The answer is \u2018yes, you can\u2019. The answer is you eat an elephant one bite at a time.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Break it down: the idea is you need to break your dream down into smaller, bite-sized, and achievable pieces.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Identify potential obstacles: what challenges do you anticipate getting in your way?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Find solutions: what steps can you take to overcome these challenges and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/alison.com\/course\/learn-how-to-build-confidence-and-stay-persistent-as-you-face-obstacles\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">obstacles<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Take the first bite: the first step towards your dreams.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">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.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Put in the Work<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dreams don\u2019t magically happen. They need work. In the same way as you don\u2019t 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\u2019s all up to you. Everything worth having is worth fighting for, right? Imagine the sense of pride and achievement you\u2019ll feel when you start seeing the results. You need to develop a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/alison.com\/course\/learn-how-to-build-and-cultivate-self-discipline\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">strong work ethic<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, go the extra mile, let go of the excuses and work.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Be Prepared to Make Sacrifices<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The reason many people don\u2019t go after their dreams is that they aren\u2019t <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/alison.com\/course\/maximising-personal-productivity\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">willing to pay the cost<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Understandably so. It\u2019s 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\u2019t mean that this will be your life forever. But it does mean that for a short while, you won\u2019t get to enjoy all the little pleasures. Remind yourself you will be able to do so again soon.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Surround Yourself With the Right People<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-5546 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/krakenimages-376KN_ISplE-unsplash-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/krakenimages-376KN_ISplE-unsplash-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/krakenimages-376KN_ISplE-unsplash-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/krakenimages-376KN_ISplE-unsplash-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/krakenimages-376KN_ISplE-unsplash-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/krakenimages-376KN_ISplE-unsplash-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/krakenimages-376KN_ISplE-unsplash-1080x720.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0\u201cYou\u2019re the average of the five people you spend the most time with,\u201d<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> wrote American entrepreneur Jim Rohn. This is true not just when you\u2019re 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\u2019s catchphrase spur you to action.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Remove the negative: this doesn\u2019t 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.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">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\u2019t 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 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/alison.com\/course\/the-ten-laws-for-personal-success\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">secrets to success<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">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.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ask for help. There is no shame in recognising you don\u2019t know the answers, which next step to take, or what to do. Nobody has all the answers at the start of the journey.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Keep Your Eye on the Prize<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You are bound to face challenges. You may get discouraged and want to quit. It will get hard, and you\u2019ll most likely start doubting yourself and wonder if the dream is worth it. It is.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Quitting is easy. Everyone does it. But this is where you get to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/alison.com\/course\/building-healthy-daily-habits\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">dig deep<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, 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\u2019ve made. If you fall, pause (don\u2019t 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\u2019s been said that \u201cWhether you believe you can do it, or you can\u2019t, you\u2019re probably right.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you aren\u2019t sure you have what it takes to go after your dreams, take our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/alison.com\/psychometric-test\/personality?utm_source=alison-blog&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=blog-wpa\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Workplace Personality Assessment<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> below. This quick and easy assessment tests your strengths and weaknesses, and helps you discover more about who you are.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alison.com\/psychometric-test\/personality\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-4967\" src=\"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Blog-CTAs-2-300x150.png\" alt=\"Personality test\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Blog-CTAs-2-300x150.png 300w, https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Blog-CTAs-2.png 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0Tips for achieving your dreams<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alison.com\/course\/building-your-confidence-and-working-ethically?utm_source=alison-blog&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=blog-course-marketing\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Be confident<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and have a positive attitude<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Keep your eyes on the prize<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Be consistent<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Don\u2019t be afraid to take on challenges and necessary risks in pursuit of your goals<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Drown out the voices of the naysayers<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Set up a good support system to push you<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alison.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Upskill<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> yourself.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Set a clear path and stick to it<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you fail, fail forward<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And remember, be flexible. Not in your goals, but in how you <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/alison.com\/course\/goal-setting-the-ultimate-guide-to-set-plan-and-achieve-your-goals?utm_source=alison-blog&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=blog-course-marketing\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">achieve your goals<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. 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\u2019ll be in a better position to assimilate into the country when you finally make that move.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Celebrate your wins, regardless of how small they seem. Things won\u2019t always go as planned and that\u2019s natural. But when you celebrate your wins, you release the \u201chappy hormone\u201d dopamine into your brain. This \u201cfeel good hormone\u201d 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. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">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!<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We all have dreams. The ones we keep secret and hope we\u2019ll 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.\u00a0 But what if there was a way to make them come true? [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":4096,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[6,560,405],"class_list":["post-5003","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alison-in-action","tag-personal-development","tag-planning","tag-workplace-personality-test","match-height"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/pexels-towfiqu-barbhuiya-9755375-1024x683.jpg","featured_category":"Alison in Action","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5003","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5003"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5003\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5544,"href":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5003\/revisions\/5544"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4096"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5003"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5003"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5003"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}