Steps To Making Your Dream A Reality

By James Allen

Innate within the human soul is a God-given desire to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. Many of us get excited when it comes to dreaming big dreams but too often when it comes down to actually making them happen, we have no idea where to start! 

I am blessed to be married to a woman who grew up in an environment where she saw many big dreams become reality in her life and the lives of those around her. I remember early on in our relationship being rather shocked when I first shared with her some of my big dreams. Rather than the, "Oh wouldn't that be nice" kind of response I was used to, she really took me seriously and started asking me about how I would start making them happen! Needless to say, that was the start of an amazing adventure that continues today.

I have learned that a crucial step in making your dreams become reality is learning how to take your dream and break it down into smaller steps. This does take some time and effort, but it is well worth it.

"But I don't even know what my big dream is" you say? Then that's where you need to start. Pray and ask God to clarify the unique passions, gifts, or talents he has given you. Ask trusted people who know you what they see as being unique and distinctive about you. Then, consider what needs you see in the world around you that really get you fired up. Where the need and your unique make-up intersect is where your dreams can really grow! Once you start to see the dream(s) more clearly, write it down as concisely as possible to make it more clear.

Then start making it more concrete by doing the following:

Dreams are often multi-faceted, so the next step is make some sub-categories of areas that you will need to work on in order to make your dream a reality. For example, are finances connected to it? Do you need any kind of further training? What relational work needs to be done? etc.

After that, begin considering what 1-3 areas you need to focus on first. Studies show that focusing on one thing at a time and completing it is the way to success, not multi-tasking. Also, by taking steps in one area, we often make progress in other areas as a by-product.

Now you are ready to start setting some goals. First, write down specifically what you want to see accomplished in a particular area. Make it SMART – Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Realistic and Time oriented.
 
Then, think of and commit to 1-3 action steps you could take within the next couple of weeks to start make some progress. 

Take time to review your progress regularly, beginning by celebrating your successes, even if you only accomplished a small part of what you had set out to do. Any little change is better than none. From there, consider what you can do over the next couple of weeks to continue moving forward toward your goal.

Having a positive, encouraging and committed person to help you through this process can make all the difference, even if it is via skype or email, so make it a priority to find the right person to journey with you through this process. If you don't have that person, Life Journey Centre can help by providing professional life coaching for you. Find out more by clicking here.

By breaking your dreams down into doable steps, you can bring more of your passion into everyday life because you can better see how even your “small steps” are connected to God’s bigger picture. Perhaps the title of an old hymn sums it up best, Little is much when God is in it. Keep celebrating those “small” steps! They are often more significant than you realize!