Achieving Your Dreams

Only through the pursuit of one's dreams may they fully discover who they truly are and who they were meant to be.

By Helen Morris

Have you achieved your dreams? Dreams are an important part of our livesand should not be ignored. Our dreams inspire us to achieve unbelievable deeds, create stunning works of art, bring to life the impossible and give us hope and strength to look toward tomorrow with optimism and determination. But what if no one believed in their dreams and never took a chance to make them come true? Think about that for a moment and contemplate what our world would look like.

Certainly without dreams the Wright Brothers would have never perfected the flying machine. What would our world look like today without the airplane?

How about Thomas Edison and the light bulb? He invented the light bulb that lights up our homes, our cities and our nation. What would the world look like today without the light bulb?

How about President Kennedy's dream of reaching the moon? Because hedared to dream and challenge our nation not only did we reach the moon but look at the wonderful products that we now use on a daily basis that were born out of the space race. What would our world look like today without dreams?

How about you? What are your dreams? What have you done today to make your dreams come true? What have you done in the last six months to make your dreams come true? Unfortunately most of us daydream about achieving our dreams but never make concrete plans to achieve them.

Here are some guidelines to help turn your dreams from simple daydreaming to reality.

1) Clarify your dream. Many people say immediately their dream is to become rich. Okay, that's fine but how are you going to get "rich"? How much money exactly would that be? People also have a habit of wanting to please others and their dream is actually the dream of their parents, spouse, significant other, or friends. You know it is your dream when you feel the passion as you envision your dream coming true. If you don't have passion then it is not your dream. Passion is what fuels your dream and will keep you going despite setbacks and problems.

2) Spend some time researching your dream. If your dream involves a different job, lifestyle or location spend some time researching your dream and find out what the qualifications are, the best locations, what training is available and everything-in-between. Become an expert on what it will take to achieve your dream.

3) Layout a strategic plan how you are to achieve your dream. This is a crucial; you must be practical and realistic. You must figure in the cost element not only in money but in personal time and relationships. The idea is to progress towards the dream each and every day.

4) You must rally support from friends and family. Take time out to explain to those important people in your life just how important it is to you to achieve your dreams. Those who support you will be invaluable and a great source of strength.

5) Join trade organizations, volunteer your time, and subscribe to magazines or newsletters. Immerse yourself and spend time with those people who are currently living your dream and ask them for advice on how to proceed. They can save you time, money, resources, and frustration.

6) Make a realistic timeline for achieving your dreams; be flexible. No plan is made in stone. Expect some setbacks, it is part of life. Everyone who is successful experienced setbacks and disappointments in achieving their dreams. What sets them apart from everyone else is they didn't quit. They learned from their experiences and moved on to achieve their dreams.

Dreams are important and they make life exciting, rewarding, and fulfilling. I encourage you to spend some significant time thinking about your dream. It is only through our dreams that we tap into our most creative and inspirational side of who we are.