When a Dream Becomes a Goal (And a Goal Becomes a Reality)

When a Dream Becomes a Goal

One of my favorite parts of this job is watching people achieve their life dreams.  The real fun part for me is not just watching someone hit those dreams, but being part of the journey from the onset.  I thought I’d take a few moments to walk you through what this process looks like and how I’ve seen people most successfully make their dreams a reality.

Dream on

Dreams are great, they give us a shot of dopamine and fill our spirits.  Sometimes we have dreams and the simple act of thinking about them warms your heart, regardless of if they’re realistic or not.  For instance, I’ll sometimes sit here and have the most absurd daydreams about something like winning the lottery.  Next thing I know I’m 20 minutes in and have spent $50 million dollars just like that.  I’ll catch myself (or more realistically my wife catches me) grinning into space.

Now, the question at hand is how to make that dream an actual goal.  You see a dream, albeit fun, is not a tangible thing.  It lacks actual bite or reality.  I’ve dreamt I was on stage rocking out with Bruce Springsteen, again no bite to it rather more fun exercise to make me smile.  If one wants to actually have a chance of making a dream a reality, it must become a goal.   You see a goal elevates a dream into the world of tangibility.  Once something becomes tangible, we can craft a plan to achieve a goal, whereas a dream can’t be planned for. 

Goallllllllllllllllllll

The natural question here is how to make something a goal, especially from a dream.  For starters, we have to know it is in the realm of possibility, and that we actually want it to become a reality.  As much fun as me on stage in front of 50,000 people rocking out to Thunder Road sounds, let’s be honest, I don’t actually strive (nor have the talents) to make it happen. 

Once we realize a dream is attainable, I think the next real step is to share it and say it out loud.  Simply the act of making it public instantly crystalizes this, now, goal and adds a level of accountability to it.  There is an element here of not letting yourself, or others down, and no one wants to be a failure.  Not that the fact that you don’t achieve your goal is necessarily failure material, but there is certainly an element of failure involved. 

For instance, if I told everyone close to me, that I’m going to run a marathon next year (oh hell no) I can guarantee every day different people will ask how I’m progressing on my goal.  That pressure alone is a motivator for most of us to not want to admit we gave up, or are simply not on track.  If I knew you’d ask me Friday how I’m doing towards my goal, I’d likely make sure I do something during the week to get closer to said goal. 

Once your goal is shared with your support system, the next step is to get a coach and write down what needs to be done.  We do this on the financial end of things all the time.  Meet with clients, hear about their goals, then constantly track them and discuss them in a formal written plan. 

Whether it is a financial goal or not having that partner that knows how to get you there is critical, equally as much as writing down the definitive goal and then attaching a carefully crafted plan as to how to achieve it.  I find these two steps are super critical in your likelihood to achieve your goal.  The coach is your accountability factor, and your written plan and tracking of that plan is your very tangible progress to making that goal a reality.

It’s really real

The final step is achieving that goal and making that dream turn into a goal and then that goal a reality.  I’ve again been blessed to see countless people make these goals a reality.  To me, it is one of those magical moments in a person’s life as any real goal turned into reality is something to be applauded.  It takes grit, determination, sacrifice, and character to make a long-term goal come to fruition.  However, the key to it all is once you get there, and achieve that goal, you must appreciate it. 

I know what you are thinking, which is of course you’ll appreciate it.  But I’m here to tell you not everyone does, or sometimes people downplay it.  This is not a time to be shy or bashful.  Be unapologetically proud and share it.  If you were willing to share what your goal is, and are surrounded by a loving support system then heck yeah share that sucker.  Relish in your successes as that journey is long and arduous.   Know that many people have failed before you and many more people don’t even attempt a goal for fear of failing.  These are special moments that it is important to appreciate in all their glory.

Hope you liked this one as it is a topic I feel strongly about.  As always stay wealthy, healthy, and happy.

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