7 Steps to Achieve Your Dream

“Vision is the spectacular that inspires us to
carry out the mundane.”

 Can achievement be broken down into steps? It isn’t always that

clean and easy, but those who achieve great things usually go
through much of the same process, with many of the items listed
below as part of that process. So if you have been struggling with
achievement, look through the following. Begin to apply them and
you will be on the road to achieving your dream.

  Step 1: Dream it.

Everything begins in the heart and mind. Every great achievement
began in the mind of one person. They dared to dream, to believe
that it was possible. Take some time to allow yourself to ask “What
if?” Think big. Don’t let negative thinking discourage you. You want to
be a “dreamer.” Dream of the possibilities for yourself, your family
and for others. If you had a dream that you let grow cold, re-ignite the
dream! Fan the flames. Life is too short to let it go.
Step 2: Believe it.
Yes, your dream needs to be big . It needs to be something that is
seemingly beyond your capabilities. But it also must be believable.
You must be able to say that if certain things take place, if others
help, if you work hard enough, though it is a big dream, it can still be
done. Good example: A person with no college education can dream
that he will build a $50 million-a-year company. That is big, but
believable. Bad example: That a 90-year-old woman with arthritis will
someday run a marathon in under three hours. It is big all right, but
also impossible. She should instead focus on building a $50 million-
a-year business! And she better get a move on!
Step 3: See it.
The great achievers have a habit. They “see” things. They picture
themselves walking around their CEO office in their new $25 million
corporate headquarters, even while they are sitting on a folding chair
in their garage “headquarters.” Great free-throw shooters in the NBA
picture the ball going through the basket. PGA golfers picture the ball
going straight down the fairway. World-class speakers picture
themselves speaking with energy and emotion. All of this grooms the
mind to control the body to carry out the dream.
Step 4: Tell it.
One reason many dreams never go anywhere is because the dreamer
keeps it all to himself. It is a quiet dream that only lives inside of his
mind. The one who wants to achieve their dream must tell that dream
to many people. One reason: As we continually say it, we begin to
believe it more and more. If we are talking about it then it must be
possible. Another reason: It holds us accountable. When we have
told others, it spurs us on to actually doing it so we don’t look
foolish.
Step 5: Plan it.
Every dream must take the form of a plan. The old saying that you
“get what you plan for” is so true. Your dream won’t just happen. You
need to sit down, on a regular basis, and plan out your strategy for
achieving the dream. Think through all of the details. Break the whole
plan down into small, workable parts. Then set a time frame for
accomplishing each task on your “dream plan.”
Step 6: Work it.
Boy, wouldn’t life be grand if we could quit before this one!
Unfortunately the successful are usually the hardest workers. While
the rest of the world is sitting on their sofas watching reruns of
Gilligan's Island , achievers are working on their goal—achieving their
dream. I have an equation that I work with: Your short-term tasks,
multiplied by time, equal your long-term accomplishments. If you
work on it each day, eventually you will achieve your dream. War and
Peace was written, in longhand, page by page.
Step 7: Enjoy it.
When you have reached your goal and you are living your dream, be
sure to enjoy it. In fact, enjoy the trip, too. Give yourself some
rewards along the way. Give yourself a huge reward when you get
there. Help others enjoy it. Be gracious and generous. Use your
dream to better others. Then go back to No. 1. And dream a little
bigger this time!