“A dream is just a dream. A goal is a dream with a plan and a deadline.” Harvey McKay
A life without dreams would be daunting and uninspiring. There is something exciting about spending countless hours a day dreaming about that house, sports car, holiday or degree. There is that tingling feeling, the sparkle in eyes and an ounce of excitement we experience each time we daydream. We all have dreams we would love to achieve in our lives and many of us are relentless in pursuing our dreams, sadly others aren’t so fortunate.
Several people approached me during the year, asking how I am able to achieve what seems like a lot of my dreams. This inspired me to share some of the simple techniques I’ve learnt over the years and I hope they can help you get a step closer to achieving yours. Like Harvey McKay said, “A dream is just a dream. A goal is a dream with a plan and a deadline”. The first change I made in my life was to stop dreaming!!! Inspired by the words of Harvey McKay, I stopped dreaming and set myself realistic goals. I worked on a plan and set deadlines on when to achieve the goals. And believe me when I say it is hard staying committed to the plan.
Every year, I write down all the goals – financial goals, personal development, fitness, travel and educational goals I aspire to achieve. The second step is to put up my goals in a place I frequent daily, my wardrobe. The purpose is to see these goals daily so I am reminded of the work I need to do. I track my progress daily; I review and change the plan if things are not working out. I also consult and associated myself with people who can help me achieve my goals.
Each small achievement is celebrated as this motivates me to work harder, to push and to keep going. Equally important is acknowledging my failures, working and learning from them. I’ve also learnt that failure should not be a setback, but rather an opportunity to try again and do it better.
Only 13 days remain of 2017 and with the New Year so close, I am using this time to reflect back on the past 12 months and to finalize my plans for the year ahead. After months of hard work, sleepless nights and early mornings with puffy eyes and cravings of caffeine; I am excited of what I have achieved.
My challenge to you is to use the days that are left to sit down in a quiet place and to think about the goals you would love to achieve. I challenge you to take out a piece of paper and to write them down- commit yourself to achieving them. Start working on the goals as early as the 1st of January 2018 and keep working on them consistently. You will be amazed by how far you get….
