Many of us have dreams. We take time out of our day to sit and visualise what we would like to create one day.

While others are more down–to–earth and will only take calculated risks and believe just what they see.

It is said there are two kinds of people in the world: those who lead their life and those who accept their life.

Whichever one you may be, you should know that dreams are there for a reason. They serve a purpose.

By following them you will live a happy life, and it’s yours to pursue and turn them into your everyday reality.

“The biggest risk is not taking any risk. In a world that changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks.” – Mark Zuckerberg

A quick reality check to put some things into perspective: many people say they want success.

Everyone likes the idea of success but most aren’t willing to do what it takes. They just don’t want it that bad.

These people don’t want to work on their dreams as much as they want to sleep-in each morning.

They want to party and have fun more than they want to turn their dreams into reality.

If you want to pursue your life goals, you must be willing to give up some of your old habits and some things you cling onto.

Ask yourself, how bad do you want it? How far are you willing to go to achieve what you know is in your heart?

The Guru

There was a man who was desperate to find the key to success. He travelled for many miles and covered many countries.

He searched for it for a long time. So long that the months turned into years.

Eventually, in a small village near the mountains, he heard the people talk of an enlightened master everyone referred to as Guru.

The Guru lived in isolation on a mountain high above the village. The man travelled many miles along the arduous path until he finally found the Guru.

He stammered, “Oh wise and all-knowing master, I’ve crossed a difficult path to find you in the hope that you will tell me the secret of success.”

The Guru didn’t answer. But nodded his head and gave a hand gesture that meant for the man to follow him.

They walked downhill for some time until they came to a vast valley. They continued to walk until there was a lake in sight.

The water was beautifully still, softly reflecting the rays of the sun.

As they approached the shore and the water was just a step away from them, the Guru asked the man to kneel down with a gesture.

Obediently, the man did what the Guru asked.

Suddenly, the man felt a strong grip on his neck, pushing him into the water. Thinking that it’s just some kind of a test, the man stayed motionless.

When the oxygen started leaving his body, his lungs felt as if they were about to burst. His mind screamed for a breath of fresh air.

The man started panicking and fighting off the hand of the Guru.

Sweet, Delicious Oxygen

Just as he started losing consciousness, the Guru released his grip. And the man stumbled on the ground.

Delicious, fresh oxygen filling his lungs again.

Just as he was about to start screaming at him, the Guru finally spoke.

“You asked for the key to success. I gave you the feeling of wanting something so bad that you’d do almost anything to get it. Oxygen, your next breath of air.

When you want success that badly, you will unquestioningly get it. Hold that as your key to success.”

Is it that straightforward? If you want to succeed bad enough, first you have to make peace with the fact that success rarely comes easily.

Success gained easily rarely lasts. While quick success usually with the cost of compromising your values.

Be Willing To Make Sacrifices

The majority of people aren’t willing to make the sacrifices or do what it takes. Success comes with sacrifice.

Some aren’t willing to cut relationships with people holding them back.

Others aren’t willing to sacrifice their weekends or evenings to do the required work, to reduce their shopping budget to invest in their dreams and so on.

You can’t have your cake and eat it, too.

“Stay focused, go after your dreams and keep moving toward your goals.” – LL Cool J

Grant Cardone is a top sales expert whose net worth is more than $500 million. With a real estate business and bestselling books behind him, he gets interviewed regularly

In one interview, Cardone admitted to quitting all his hobbies.

He did that when he finally found out what he wanted to do and devoted all his hours to his dreams to make them the reality that he is living.

Believe In Your Dreams

Don’t join the masses who have trouble seeing the potential of their dreams. These people give up too soon only because they are unable to see how their dreams can turn into reality.

Too often we get preoccupied with other people’s progress. Their time scale isn’t yours.

Navy SEAL training is amongst the most arduous in the entire world. There is a passage from their creed that reads:

“I will never quit. I persevere and thrive on adversity. My Nation expects me to be physically harder and mentally stronger than my enemies.

If knocked down, I will get back up, every time. I will draw on every remaining ounce of strength to protect my teammates and to accomplish our mission. I am never out of the fight.”

Believe in your dreams. Enough said!

Taking The First Step

The path of fulfilling your dream will take many actions. And as the saying goes, even the longest journey must begin with a single step.

By doing all of these little steps or actions, you direct your energy towards realising your dream.

So you need to have a clear plan of all the actions that are required to attain your dream. Eliminating procrastination is central to being productive.

When you get the simple things right, it builds your confidence and creates an expectation that you will be able to tackle more daunting tasks successfully.

And when you fail, persevere, take small and simple steps forward. Keep moving towards your dreams, even if you face setbacks and challenges.

Working Behind The Scenes

If you struggle believing there is a way to achieve your dreams, try a different approach.

Meditation will help you figure out whatever you are struggling with at the moment.

If there’s an obstacle you’re facing, clearing your head of all the clutter and thinking straight is going to help you overcome this.

Meditating actually gives your mind the long-needed peace and quiet it needs.

“To make a dream become reality takes planning, determination and a lot of sweat and hard work.” – David Brett-Williams

Besides meditation, positive affirmations perform miracles as well. They keep you persevering by keeping your morale high and moving in the direction of your goal.

Know that in a blink of an eye, everything can change. Suddenly, you will be able to see a clear path to your dreams, and you can go for it.

Plan And Set Goals

Virtually every successful person is a relentless goal setter. They break down larger goals into smaller, more achievable tasks.

Sometimes you can’t visualise how all the actions fit into one another. So you make and achieve one small goal at a time.

A series of small, short-term realistic goals will help you to get closer to your big goals and dreams.

As the body and the mind are connected, so mental preparation is crucial too.

Here are some simple yet effective techniques that work wonders on the dreams you want to see become a reality in your life.

Dream Journal

By having one you will keep all the memories and wishes fresh in your mind, ready to be acted upon. Minor or major, doesn’t matter, if it crosses your mind daily, it’s worth the mention.

Vision Board

This is the most fun of them all. I love it, everyone I talk to loves it, and it’s very effective. Take a board (cardboard works) and glue or pin down everything you want to turn into reality.

Place it in your office, living room, kitchen or anywhere you spend a sizeable part of your day. Then watch how one by one they turn into reality, with hard work, of course.

Action Journal

Another way to stay motivated and work harder each week is to keep an action journal.

This means that at the end of each week you will write a page or two of all the things you did working towards your goal.

This will keep you accountable for any setbacks and plateaus you might face and will give you the answer why you are or aren’t succeeding.

Enjoy The Present Moment

While you will enjoy much more once you turn all your dreams into reality, you need to remember to appreciate the present moment.

Everything that’s happening around you right now is teaching you something valuable and creating your path towards your dreams.

Share Your Goals And Dreams

Talking with the others, at minimum close friends and family, as if you already have it, will help you stay encouraged and excited.

Even better if you find people who share your goals and dreams.

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” – Harriet Tubman

You never know who might help you or give you valuable information on how to do something easier and save you a lot of time and effort. Since you can’t do it all alone.

The moment you accept that you don’t know everything and need help along the way, the better off you will be.

There will be many negative people to be met on the road to your dreams. If someone doubts your goals, it is commonly because of their own limitations.

This doesn’t mean, under any circumstance, that they are right.

Track Your Progress

No matter how small it is, be happy about it. Progress is a sign that things are finally moving. You’re finally managing to reach your goals, little by little.

By keeping an eye on progress and appreciating it honestly, it will be easier for you to stay on the right track.

Train yourself the method of an Attitude of Gratitude. This will keep you motivated at all times, especially the hard ones.

Work Hard

I know this one seems far too obvious, but many people underestimate the level of work it takes to achieve their dreams.

You need to work hard if you want to be successful and achieve your goals.

I am astonished how often I see people that set big, audacious goals that put no real time or effort into preparation and planning.

If you don’t work hard preparing for potential success, you won’t change that behaviour when things get really tough.

Stop Making Excuses

If you want to achieve your dreams, don’t make excuses for failure or shortcomings.

While you sit around making excuses, you will drift from the possibility of achieving your dreams.

Successful people acknowledge their strengths and weaknesses and seek feedback from trusted advisers on how to improve.

Be Willing To Fail

Many people will not take action to achieve their dreams. Because they look at life through a lens of fear.

They are the ones who will monitor your efforts and say, “I was thinking about trying that.”

A few are wired differently, they know that if they don’t try, they would never forgive themselves.

Make the decision to be the person that would rather try and fail than never try at all.

When you take a calculated risk and fail, you have a valuable learning experience. So get back up. Dust yourself off. And try again.

There is only one question left to ask you, how badly do you want to turn your dreams into reality?