In my last story I talked about dreams, the you have when you’re sleeping. In this story I will be talking about the dreams you need to work for to come true. You could also think of dreams as goals as they’re both pretty similar except dreams are things you’re least likely to do. There’s really no limit to dreaming. You can dream everyday all day if you really wanted to, like they say, dream big or go home, but I’m pretty sure you don’t want to dream how your life could be. So you should achieve those dreams. Instead of sitting at the bottom of the hill in its shadow, climb the hill and you’ll see things that could change your life for the good of it. Just remember it’s not always a beautiful sunset on top of the hill so sometimes you have to climb back down and climb another hill. How can you achieve your dreams though? Well lucky for you I’m here to give you a few tips to help you climb that hill big or small. First you of course have to have a dream. Once you know what your dream is you can start taking action. Your going to want to be specific about your dream. One way to be very specific about your dreams is to write them in your dream journal or in a notebook. Next you’re going to turn your dream into a burning desire. A strong will to achieve your dreams boosts self confidence and will aid you in pulling through some of the worst stages of life. The way to turn your dream into a burning desire is to believe that your dream is achievable and that you can actually achieve it. If you just look at it as a general wish, such as losing five pounds this year, or wanting to move somewhere sunny without really doing it, then you won’t be able to take it seriously.It is important to move from dream to burning desire, to goal. Only a goal can be approached. Once you’ve got those down you can start turning your burning desires into goals. The thing about goals is they are time sensitive, so adding a time frame helps you to accept the fact that you are committed to doing it. Next, create a strategic plan of action. There is no universal plan of action for everyone; each strategy depends on the person involved and the goals they wish to accomplish; because of this fact, the key to creating your own working plan of action lies in you and you need to seek it out. Write down every step of your plan. Having it written down can help you feel that it is more concrete and doable. Just remember that life isn’t so cut and dry and that you may not neatly be able to check off one goal after the other, and that you may end up changing some of the necessary steps for achieving your dreams or re-imagine a new path along the way. Now you’re going to take action. It’s time to stop making excuses, and to keep putting off until tomorrow what can be done today. Try to set short term goals. Divide your main goal into sub-divisions, and set time periods for achieving each of the items on the list. If you don’t meet a deadline, try to shake it off. Then set another date that is more realistic for you. Start to review your progress regularly. As you start on the path to making your dreams come true, it’s important to have a sense of what you are accomplishing. Here’s a quick and easy list to use as you develop your own personal progress report: if you have achieved your goals for that time period, if you still have a desire to follow your dream, and if you have deviated from the path toward fulfilling your goal. Now you can start enjoying the journey. The most important thing is not to think that your life is terrible and that you’ll only find happiness once you achieve your dream. In fact, once you achieve your dream and the euphoria has worn off, you’ll find that you may return to your natural state of being and will be hungry for a new dream. This kind of longing and forward thinking is perfectly normal, so you should enjoy following every step of the way instead of thinking that you’ll only be happy/feel proud of yourself/feel like your life has meaning after you’ve achieved your goal. Instead, enjoy every step of the way and be proud of yourself the whole way through.

Some ways you can stay motivated throughout your journey is to visualize success. Close your eyes from time to time and picture what your life will be like after you’ve achieved your goal. Maintain your confidence. If you want to succeed in making your dreams come true, then you can’t be a Negative Nancy whenever something goes wrong or when your dream seems insurmountable. Keep your head up, and don’t forget to make time for relaxation. Though it’s important to be persistent about following your dreams and achieving your goals, you have to remember to take some breaks and allow yourself to rest and stay calm such as yoga or meditation. Learn from failure of yours and others. If you’ve failed at something, then you have to sit back and ask yourself why it happened, and what you could have done differently. Of course, sometimes it may just be a matter of dumb luck, and all you can do is carry on, but most times, you’ll see that there will be something you can do differently. Accept constructive criticism along the way. Though it’s important to be focused on your goal and not to let other people stand in your way, it’s equally important to listen to the people who are actually trying to help you. Of course, just because someone cares about you or knows a lot about your goals doesn’t mean that he or she will always know the best course of action. It’s up to you to use your discretion to see what advice you should take and what you should throw out. Make the necessary sacrifices. Nobody said this would be an easy process. Something like cutting back on your family time can really hurt, but you have to remind yourself that you’ll be able to reach an equilibrium after the process is over. Remove any hurdles that stand in your way. Think about it, what is keeping you from achieving your goals the most right now? Is it a toxic friend who is always putting you down and making you feel worthless? Is it a dead-end relationship that leaves you feeling drained of energy whenever the time comes to focus on yourself? Is it a job that is leaving you completely unfulfilled?. Whatever the hurdle, or hurdles are that are in your way, it’s time to make a plan to systematically get rid of them. You can make a list of hurdles so next time if you’re thinking of getting back with that friend and hanging out you know its for the best to turn them down. Drop the excuses. One of the most important traits of highly successful and goal-oriented people is that they are able to drop the excuses and to trudge forward, no matter what obstacles stand in their way. It’s true that not everyone is born with a ton of luck. You can stop and feel sorry for yourself and address the problems you need to address, but you can’t go through life feeling like the victim if you want to succeed. Reevaluate your dream if you can’t achieve it. This isn’t meant to be a downer. Of course, if you work hard and make the right plans, you’ll be more likely to achieve your dreams. But the fact of the matter is, not all dreams can be attained by anyone, especially if your dream is something like being a famous actor or writing a best-selling novel. Once you’ve done all of these steps you can proudly say you’ve achieved your goals!  I hope this story helps you achieve your goals. Thank you for reading and have a great week! :D.

(Bolded words are the start of each step Example: Then. [Everything after: Some are tips to stay motivated throughout your journey.] )

[If you believe your ready to start making your goal a reality you can skip to some tips to stay motivated: Some].