6 Ways to Achieve your Dreams


The word dreams project an excitement that no other word can. Dreams are a vision for your future which pulls you to wake up every morning with a smile and fire in your heart.
However I would like to caution that unrealistic pie in the sky dreams result in disappointment and heartbreak. For example if I have a dream to be a tennis player it would be futile and not aligned to any of my talent. A dream while not always being realistic should at least be in your strength zone.In order for you to succeed in your dreams I believe you need the following elements.
Discipline – The first step is to be absolutely clear on what is your dream. You need to be disciplined to understand why you want to do your dream. In other words you should have such a burning yes that you say no to everything else. For example Federer is great in tennis but does it matter he knows 10 languages or he plays the piano. This is where focus helps. The problem is sometimes we look at peers or friends and see them so talented in multiple disciplines. However to me you can be successful only if you are disciplined on a few areas and focus only on that. If learning the piano is not going to get you anywhere I would rather spend the same time on improving my skills in getting better at what I do for a living. Of course this is a personal choice but to me the only way to achieve anything is to be monomaniacally disciplined on the things that matter to you and your career.
Relentless – Once you decide what your dream is you need to be totally relentless in your purist of the dream. There is nothing that should stop you till you achieve what you want. Of course if you tried it for 5 years and still not making any progress then you should be flexible and take some new actions. You can change your direction but don’t change the destination you have decided. Michael Jordan tried baseball and it didn’t work out. Not everyone can do everything but on the few things that you can do be absolutely relentless and go for it. You really need to burn your boats to achieve what you want. It doesn’t matter if you know 100 things all that matters is are you super good in what you do for a living. Focus on that and be relentless.
Enthusiasm – You need to be enthusiastic about your dream. Obviously you are going to encounter setbacks along the way and the only thing that will keep you going is your enthusiasm for your dream. Remember it is your dream and no one else can do it. So it is up to you to keep your spirits high no matter what the obstacles you encounter. It is not about acting enthusiastic. It is about being absolutely disciplined about what you want to do with your life and then mustering up the enthusiasm to keep the inner fire burning.
Action– There is no substitute for action. We all have dreams but the only way anything is achieved is through action. You can even have the highest IQ but still only if you take all the necessary action you can move towards your goals. The only way to achieve something big is to break it down into daily actions. So take daily action towards your most cherished dreams.
Mastery – You need to become absolutely competent in whatever you do for a living. Find out the experts in your field, read their books, read their blogs, listen to their podcasts, document what you have learned and share what you have learned. Every single thing you need to master has all the information associated with it available for you to take advantage. All you need to do is to take the time to learn the skill. Once you become a master you can do your dreams.
Success – This is one of the most important steps of all. What does success really look to you? What will happen when you achieve your dreams? What is it that drives you to achieve your dreams? If achieving your dream results in family discontent is it worth it. You need to really evaluate what the cost of the dream is and really understand if the price is worth it in terms of effort.
A dream is wonderful to have but we have to really evaluate our dreams to see if it makes sense not only to us but to those who are close to us. As it is said a person with a dream will not be denied but only if they have the commitment to follow through.
The views expressed here are my own and do not represent my organization.

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