One of my main life principles is to never give up on my dreams.
Although I did not follow my early childhood dreams of what I wanted to be when I grew up, I have been consistently pursuing my dreams since I was eleven years old and declared to my parents that I was going to move to the U.S.
It was a brazen statement to make for a girl living in a small provincial Russian town. It took me more than ten years to realize my dream, and moving to the U.S. has crystallized my “everything is possible” attitude to life.
We all have or had dreams, but not everybody goes after their dreams.
There are different reasons why people do not pursue their dreams:
– Dreams take hard work.
– They require time, money, commitment, effort and sacrifices.
– You must get out of your comfort zone, deal with the unfamiliar and overcome your fears.
– You are going to hit numerous obstacles on your way.
– You are likely to fail.
In spite of these challenges, there are numerous reasons to follow your dreams:
– Dreams move and inspire you.
– They bring passion, purpose and meaning to your life.
– Dreams give you energy and create excitement.
– They empower you to set up your life trajectory and change your life.
– Dreams give you the feeling of accomplishment and increase your self-esteem and self-confidence.
“A dream is an inspiring picture of the future that energizes your mind, will and emotions, empowering you to do everything you can to achieve it”.
John Maxwell
To turn your dream into reality, you need to create specific goals and take action.
As you reflect on your dream, set your goals as if you had no limitations and whatever you wrote you could achieve.
Make a list of everything you need to achieve your goals and organize the list by sequence and priority. Set deadlines for each of your tasks. That’s how your goal becomes your plan.
Do something every day, seven days a week. No matter how small a step could be. Resolve to persist on your goal until you succeed, no matter how hard it becomes or how long it takes.
“A dream written down with a date becomes a goal. A goal broken down into steps becomes a plan. A plan backed by action makes your dreams come true.”
Greg Reid
As you set your goals, keep in mind that your major goals must be measurable. There’s a basic rule that what gets measured, gets done.
Your goals must also be clearly bound by time. Make them urgent. Select realistic but challenging deadlines.
If it is a long-term goal, such as two or three years, break it down into smaller parts, with minor goals or benchmarks every 30 to 60 days.
As you are working towards you dream, you need to figure out how to stay motivated, especially when the going gets tough and it’s tempting to give up.
Some of the most common reasons for giving up are unexpected obstacles, lack of motivation and enthusiasm.
You feel motivated and excited when you just start with your goals.
Then you encounter unforeseen setbacks and self-doubt sets in, which makes you question everything.
If you are about to give up on your dream that you love, ask yourself these questions:
Why did you have that dream in the first place?
Why do you feel that you need to give up?
What are other possible ways to fulfill your dream?
Can you live without this dream?
Are you going to regret giving up on your dream one year from now?
You need persistence to overcome obstacles. There will be days when you do not feel like doing what you need to do.
The only way to achieve the desired results is by staying consistent and doing the work even when you do not feel motivated to do so.
Don’t quit your dreams because you do not feel motivated.
Motivation does not just happen. You need to start taking small steps towards your goals and motivation will quickly kick in.
If you are dealing with a lack of motivation, try the below three steps:
1. Decide on the smallest action you can take towards your goal. This action should be so easy that you can’t say no to it.
2. Schedule the exact time when you are going to take that action.
3. Just do it! Most likely, you will go beyond the smallest action you originally committed to as your reaction to that action will fuel your motivation.
“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time…”
Thomas Edison
Ready to start your journey towards a more fulfilling and happier life?
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