Reaching your big dream can be so much! First, we kicked off the year with talking about trying something new; now we are going to dive into the practical steps you can be taking to be reaching your big dreams. I’m so excited that you’ve decided you’re ready to be a dreamer. You know there are a few things you’d like to accomplish, and you’re tired of watching life pass you by without feeling like you have a purpose. But what next? What now? Here are six practical steps to help you reach for your big dream!
Stop Being Afraid
Don’t apologize, fear, or hesitate when it comes to your dreams. This is a big one. It is hard one too. Fear holds us back from doing so many things and from taking chances. Make sure you take a few moments to write down all the fears you hold of accomplishing your dream. The fears associated with failing and succeeding. Then systematically go through them one by one. Rewrite them as statements of confidence. Identify one thing you are doing that is the opposite of what your fear is telling you. If Walt Disney could dream up a successful company with a mouse… you can reach your big dreams. Anything is possible, and if it hasn’t been tried yet, it’s your time to do it!
Make Reasonable Plans
To make big dreams happen, you’ll have to make detailed plans to guide you. Remember the saying “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” The key point in this statement is the word reasonable. Yes, it needs to be detailed but even if you write down general plans of what it takes to succeed is a great start. You can come back later and fill in more details. Because thinking of an idea isn’t enough to surmount it—you need to come up with a process that will get you there. It’s like planning a vacation to Hawaii without booking flights and hotel rooms. The end destination (in your case, the goal) is essential, but even more important is the way you will go about it. Set aside some time to plan it out! Reaching your big dreams is depending on it.
Check Your Progress
So, if we have no way of measuring how we’re doing, how will we ever get to our big goals? This step refers back to the previous one about making reasonable plans. With your plans, you assigned anticipated dates you would like to accomplish certain steps by. Then, start checking your progress every week. Measure yourself against your goals and anticipated dates you had identified. If you are completing your milestones before, then congratulations! You are ahead of schedule. If you realize you’re not up to speed with the progress you were hoping for, then simply use this as fuel to work harder. Adjust your timeline if necessary.
Ask for Help
No one is successful by themselves. Read that again. No one builds an empire for themselves without help. Or makes a lot of money entirely on their own. And no one loses weight and juggles work and parenting responsibilities without asking for support. Regardless of your walk of life or how self-sufficient you are, you will need help reaching your big dreams. You don’t need hand-holding every step of the way, but you’ll need support. Start getting comfortable with asking for help because that’s a key ingredient to your success.
Figure Out How to Stay Motivated
Motivation is different for everyone. For you, it may come from jamming out to your favorite song. For someone else, it may mean reading an encouraging book. On your journey, notice what kinds of things fuel you, feed you. And then do those things more often to keep your motivation high! You can also refer back to the Measuring Motivation article to other ideas on how to stay motivated.
Go for It
Sometimes, you just have to go for it. Whatever it is you’ve been waiting for, there will be a defining moment when you decide it’s time. Listen to that, and when you’re feeling ready to go attack your dreams… do it! You will try to come up with excuses why are you are not ready. Or how things maybe just aren’t ready to roll. This is your fear talking. Refer back to the first point of stop being afraid and just go for it.
Summary
There you have it; 6 ways to reach your big dreams. Easy peasy, the only thing standing in your way is you! Remember you kicked off the year with talking about trying something new. What are you waiting for? I’m so proud of you for diving in, stepping up, jumping off, or whatever verse you want to invoke here. I believe in you. Now, go after it and get succeeding!