What’s your dream? Do you have a huge life dream that you have been working on all your life? Do you have several smaller dreams that are possibly leading up to one big dream? Do you start with one dream and then switch mid gear to another one, feeling a sense of failure because you can’t seem to stick to your dream? Dreaming is one of the great things in life, but there has to be an element of determination and planning to accomplish your dreams. Without it you go through life “wanting” and not “getting”.

To successfully accomplish a dream, you have to make a plan and stick to it. Outlining a plan, whether big or small, takes time, patience, and organization. Say your dream is to own your own business one day. You have to ask yourself the big questions such as; what is the business going to be, what time frame do I want to work in to get to that goal, what do I need to learn and what experience will I need to have to be successful in that business, how will I finance the business, what do I have to do be able to finance the business, how will I grow the business, who will my customer base be?  These are just a few of the questions you will have to ask yourself and answer. This process becomes the outline, the first step, to accomplishing the dream. This process will take time. Your patience will be tested as you search for the answers to your questions. Finding the answers will require research. Not only will you have to research written material but you will also have to talk to people with experience and similar dreams. Everyone begins this process thinking it’s a quick and simple task, but they soon find out how long the process can be, so don’t get discouraged. 

Once you have designed an outline for your dream, you will need to give it a time frame and decide how you are going to accomplish it. Maybe you need more education in the field you want to go in, maybe you need hands on experience, maybe you have these things but need a financial plan to get to start up. Set goals within your time frame to get to the end goal. Accomplishing your dream may take you a year, or three years, or possibly more. Having a clear vision of how long it’s going to take to get to the desired goal will help you stay focused and on track.

Focus and determination will bring you to a successful end. Surround yourself with people who have faith in you and want you to accomplish your goals. A positive support group is a huge asset. Be smart in your choices and be grateful all along the way. We all deserve to dream big and enjoy the success those dreams can bring!

 Achieving Success in Life Using Goals

I don’t know a single person who does not want success in life, but success doesn’t just happen. Below are a few ideas to help you find and structure success in life. 

* Set goals. Believe me, success doesn’t just happen. Think about the direction you want your life to go in and set goals to get there. If you are just beginning to think about these things, set small goals and build to bigger ones as u get used to setting goals. There’s a great deal of satisfaction in accomplishing goals and the boost it give your self-confidence is amazing.

* Find inspiration to accomplish goals. A goal is generally set by a desire. When you desire something, inspiration gives it life. Search out inspiration to feed your goals. Read books about people that have reached the goal you desire. Mingle with people that are successful and that you look up to. Learn from and be inspired by them. Find a way to spark inspiration every day and keep a flame lite under your goals.

* Make a plan to reach your goal and track your success. No goal happens without a plan to reach it. Plan out how you are going to meet your goal and give it a time line. Journal your success and reward yourself in some small way when you accomplish milestones along the

way. Planning and tracking will keep you focused and on track. Rewarding yourself…. well that just makes you feel good.

* Be strong and don’t give up. You are going to have days when you feel like you are getting nowhere fast. Don’t sweat it. We all do. Stay strong, look toward your sources of inspiration, and remember that tomorrows another day. You will get through this one.

* Be positive. I know no one that gets ahead by being negative. A positive attitude is a must in life. Look at every day as an opportunity to reach your goals, realize success, learn, and be happy in life. You will be amazed at how this alone will change your life.

* Have an attitude of gratitude. All along your life path there will be people, experiences, and circumstances that will help you achieve success in your life. Always be grateful for these things and for all the future successes coming your way.

Check in next week for Dream Big

Careers By JAM is beginning a series on Goal Setting. Please check in weekly to enjoy this 3 part article.

You Gotta Set Goals!

If you want to get ahead in life, you have to set goals. Often people won’t set goals because they are afraid of failure; not being able to accomplish the goals they set. What they are actually doing by “not” setting goals is shooting themselves in the foot. Goals help us reach successes in life and ultimately bring us happiness and fulfillment. Below are simple steps you can take to set up and achieve your goals.

* Positive goal setting. Never set a goal in which you are running from something. A goal should always be something you are reaching for and not be attached to a negative. 

* Set reasonable goals. Be realistic. Don’t set goals that don’t fit you, your life style, or your current life situation. Also don’t set goals that conflict with each other. Just as a person can’t be in two places at one time, the same is true about goals. They have to work harmoniously together is you are working on more than one goal at a time. 

* Write the goal, or goals, in a journal. Research and detail how your will achieve the goal. This will insure that you are well informed about what will be necessary to accomplish your goal as well as keep you focused and on track to completing the goal. Refer to the journal often and track your success in getting to the end result. As you succeed along the path, you will be inspired and energized as you realize your goal.

* Realize the power of goal setting. When people first start working with goals they generally begin with goals that are short and easy to accomplish. This is a good thing at first because they begin to reap the rewards of the process and get used to working with them. But with time we all grow up. Don’t make the mistake of never pushing yourself to achieve big goals. Everyone starts small in the beginning, but the goal is to dream bigger and reach farther. 

Check in next week for Achieving Success in Life Using Goals