Your Dream: 5 Habits that will Get You There

by Judy Rushfeldt

Anyone can dream. The challenge is to translate those dreams into reality.

Success or failure in life is largely determined by factors we may not even notice: our day to day habits. People who reach their dreams don’t do unusual or extraordinary things. Rather, they are people who cultivate positive habits that they practice day-in and day-out.

Following are five habits that will help you reach your dream.

1. Carve out "Dreamtime"

In the real world of family responsibilities, competitive job markets, and the stresses of our busy lives, dreaming can seem impractical and irresponsible.

But research has found that people with a dream live longer, healthier lives. It is an act of generosity to make time for dreams. You will be happier, and your happiness will spill over to those you love.

Benjamin E. Mayes said this: "It must be borne in mind that the tragedy of life doesn't lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach. It isn’t a calamity to die with dreams unfulfilled, but it is a calamity not to dream.”

2. Write it down.

Power is unleashed through the simple act of writing down your dream. Vague, undefined ideas that lack clarity and specifics rarely translate into reality.

It has been estimated that less than five percent of the population have written goals. Writing down your dream will help clarify it in your mind.  It will keep you focused. And it will help you establish priorities, timelines and goals for achieving your dream.

3. Cultivate Courage

Fear is the number one reason why many people don’t reach their dreams. Courage isn’t something you are born with. It is something you cultivate. It grows each time you step out of your comfort zone, despite feelings of fear, anxiety and intimidation,  

To overcome fear, you must face it. You have likely head the adage, “Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is choosing to believe there is something more important than your fear.”

Isn’t your dream more important than your fear? Courage is an action, not a feeling. What action can you take today to confront a fear?

4. Do one thing, every day, towards your dream

Dreams without action are fantasies. Someone said, “No dream ever comes true until you are willing to wake up and go to work.”

What are you willing to do about your dream? What are you willing to NOT do?

For most of us, the first step is to end something. What unnecessary things in life are draining your time and energy? Are you devoting far too much time to one activity, group, project, or form of entertainment?

Gardeners cut away healthy rosebuds because they know a rosebush produces far more buds than it can sustain. Are you spreading yourself too thin? If so, cut some things. Channel your time and resources to those areas with the greatest potential to produce meaningful results.

Next, what action step can you take today towards your dream?
 
Taking one action step each day will create a forward momentum that fuels your dream, moves your forward, and step by step takes you along the path to success.

5. Develop Resilience

Websters dictionary defines resilience: the ability to become strong, healthy, or successful again after something bad happens

:the ability of something to return to its original shape after it has been pulled, stretched, pressed, and bent.

Every dreamer is tempted to quit. But there is no greater factor in long-term success than perseverance. Anyone can be enthusiastic and confident when bursting through the starting gate. But what separates the starters from the finishers is how they respond to obstacles, pain and setbacks along the way.

Louis Pasteur, the French chemist who founded modern microbiology and developed the process of pasteurization said this, “Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal. My strength lies SOLEY in my TENACITY.”

We all experience times when we are besieged by discouragement and self doubt. We begin to wonder, Why is it taking so long? I'm tired of being disappointed, I'm tired of setbacks, I'm weary of waiting for breakthroughs. Is it really worth it?

Failure can be your friend, or your enemy. It took Thomas Edison 10,000 failed experiments before he finally successfully invented the lightbulb.  Someone asked Mr. Edison, "Why did you keep trying after so many failures?”

 Mr. Edison responded, "Oh, I didn't fail 10,000 times. I just eliminated 10,000 materials and combinations that didn't work so I could find the one that did."

Remember, every habit starts with a choice. As you discipline yourself to consistently repeat those choices, they develop into habits. And as these habits become a part of your life, they will create a synergy that translates your dream into reality.

Judy Rushfeldt is an award-winning author, speaker, and publisher of LifeToolsforWomen.com and DepressionFree.com