You may think that making your dreams come true is a cliché. The great news though is there are practical steps you can take to make it happen!

Whether you want to become a painter, move to another country, begin a career as a musician or singer, start your own business, or publish a book, you can ask yourself a few questions to start on the path toward accomplishing your goals.

1. What is your dream and why do you want it?
Establishing exactly what you want to do and why you want it will give you clarity and focus. There may be aspects to accomplishing your dreams that you haven’t defined or things you haven’t thought about which will ultimately alter your course of action.

Think about why you want this dream to come true and clearly define what you want to happen in the end (especially if your goal is vague, like being successful at [blank]. Define successful!)

2. Is there anything unclear, so far?
Stop right here. If you can’t figure out how to define your dream or describe why you want it, then you need to change your goal already. Your new goal is to figure out what you want! Write down possible routes and goals for yourselves in the same vein as what you were already thinking.

For instance, “working with children” becomes possibilities like volunteering at shelters, training to be a social worker, or being a foster parent. This type of exercise will sharpen your focus and may cause a new option to jump out at you.

3. What steps will it take to make your dream come true?
There are major milestones to reach on the way to the top. What ones will you have to conquer to get there? If you aren’t sure what all it will entail to sell your house and buy a new one, for example, you may have to do a bit of research online or at the library. Enlist someone who has been there, if you can.

4. What smaller steps can you take to tackle the big tasks?
Once you know what you need to do to make your dreams a reality, it’s time to take action. For example, if you’re writing a book, one of the first milestones you might have is to finish an outline of your story. What would be the action to completing that milestone?

Writing! Whatever helps you brainstorm best or flesh out ideas will become your daily or weekly activity until you get your outline finished.

5. Who do you have around you that will keep you motivated?
Having a support group is essential. Online or in person, being able to hear other success stories will inspire you, while sharing your struggles will keep you feeling connected. It also gives you a possibility to network and find new resources for your goals.

6. How can you stay motivated to work on something every day?
Look at the reasons why you started on this path—remember the passion that your dreams gave you and the why behind what you’re doing. Take a break if you have to. Just don’t give up! Because there was a reason you started this and you defined it in the beginning. Some days you may have to remind yourself. Writing down a personal statement of your goals or dreams, or keeping a visual reminder or picture, can help to remind you.

Image Source: Google images

About Alex Blackwell
Alex Blackwell is a father, husband and writer.