Making dreams come true

All of us at various times have a wide variety of dreams and fantasies. There are some dreams that seem to come back with regularity and at times they also become day dreams. They are largely connected with happiness, success, achievement, appreciation, recognition and similar positive images. The problem is that for most of us, these remain pipe dreams that we do not translate into concrete achievements that can embrace those positive emotions. The problem is not with the dreams but our inability to cross the chasm between dreams and reality. The steps are crystal clear, the difficulty is our inertia. Overcome that inertia and do the following:

Turn dreams to goals – Wake up and if you can visualize your dream then you are definitely getting somewhere. Grab a pen and paper and jot down the dream not in a fanciful way but in a concrete pragmatic way. E.g. you dreamt that you stood first in class. Reality is that currently you have a backlog and are in the bottom half of the class. Now to make your dream a goal, be pragmatic. Jot down your goal as ‘clear my back log and get 20 % more marks in all subjects than my previous score.’ Notice that your goal is more tangible than merely imagining standing first.

Break down every goal into action plans – This is even more crucial then jotting down your goal. Now you are making your goal a SMART goal by being more Specific about the steps to be taken (how will you plan a study time table, what subjects would you pay more attention too etc.) , Using a Measure ( in this case score), ensuring that it is Attainable ( you should not try to achieve ridiculous things beyond your ability like saying scoring 80% in all subjects because current performance standards are way below that), be Realistic ( if you are currently studying only on the previous day of the exam it would be foolhardy to imagine yourself studying for 8 hours every day ) and ensure your goal is clearly Time bound. Of course, the example given is for an average person but there could be people who have a much more steely resolve and the ability to cope with bigger challenges that they map out for themselves.

Take action – All the goals and action plans turn to successful results only when one takes the action required. Taking action means you need to find the right motivation ( ideally intrinsic motivation), develop the right attitude ( avoid all distractions, remain focused, do not give into temptations ) and remain enthusiastic ( reward yourself for the small success you encounter when you stick to your action plans) and then do what you have to do to achieve your goal ( in this case regular study, practice regularly, revise frequently, )

Try these:

List out three personal weaknesses you want to overcome. Now write down your smart goals to achieve it and see tangible results in the next 3 months.
Write down your goals and action plan for the following: