I’m sure you have seen motivational quotes telling you to “dream big” or “chase your dreams“, but how exactly do you turn your dreams into reality?
Of course, it’s important to dream and have a vision, but without action, dreams are just make-believe.
From our earliest ages, we are taught to have big hopes for our futures, but by the time we get out of school, we tend to be swept up by reality and forced to settle.
But just because you’re not living your dream life right now, it doesn’t mean you’ll never be able to achieve it.
It can be frustrating when your dream life seems to be out of reach, but there are 5 steps you can take to help turn your dreams into reality.
1. Clarify What You Want
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First, you must define your dream life.
Being able to clearly state your dream life is the most important step you can take to achieving your goals.
Simply having it in your head will not work, so put pen to paper and write it down. Try to be as specific as possible!
Of course, it can be difficult to clearly articulate our aspirations. You can use these guiding questions to help you if you get stuck.
- What do I want in life?
- What makes me feel alive?
- How do I define success?
After you have clarified what your dream life looks like, an optional (and fun) step is to create a vision board to attract and manifest it into reality.
Not sure what to put on your vision board? Here are some ideas to get started:
- Dream House
- Favorite Destination
- Motivational Quotes
- Dream Career / Job
- Hobbies
- Dream Lifestyle
- Inspiring Role Models
- Food & Drinks
- Health & Fitness
Do keep in mind that vision boards are not genie lamps. Just because you put something on your vision board doesn’t mean it will automatically happen.
You must take active steps in pursuing what you want. This is why it’s so important to set tangible goals.
2. Set SMART Goals
Now that you’ve successfully defined your dream life, the next step is to set goals.
For this to work, these goals must be SMART!
Poorly defined goals can demotivate you because they are simply not realistic.
Therefore, you should take the time to review your list of goals to ensure they meet the SMART requirements.
SMART stands for:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Relevant
- Time-bound
A good way to set goals is to group them by major categories.
Try to organize your goals into the following categories to make it easier to brainstorm your SMART goals:
- Personal
- Career & Business
- Relationships
- Family & Friends
- Education & Skills
- Financial
- Health & Fitness
- Hobbies
- Home
- Others
Use our best-selling Goal Planner Worksheet to set some big goals (and crush them).
3. Take Action
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After setting your list of goals, you must take action.
Start by making an action plan, and plan out the steps you must take to turn your dreams into reality.
You can utilize the SMART principles to develop a realistic action plan.
Remember, you are allowed to take baby steps if you have to.
Our resource library can help you get started in taking action.
4. Say “No” To Perfection
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This can be incredibly tough if you are someone who strives for perfection.
The thought of completing something so well that you never have to worry about criticism is so appealing.
But the desire to be perfect is one of the major hurdles you have to overcome if you want to stick to your plan and achieve the goals you set.
Instead of aiming for perfection on the first try, take the approach of continuous improvement.
One of my favorite quotes to keep in mind is “Done is better than perfect.”
5. Celebrate Small Wins
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The final step to turn your dreams into reality is to celebrate your wins.
No matter big or small, you should be proud of your achievements.
Counting all of your wins gives you motivation to power through obstacles.
For example, simply taking the time to read through this blog post is a “win”! Go you!
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