Planing for a Dream

Yesterday I talked about the importance of having a dream. Today we will look at how to make that dream come true.

The best trick I have ever found for making dreams come true is to work backwards. In other words, start at the dream and figure out what steps take you backwards from the dream to where you are now. Example: if you want to be a doctor the step before that is residency, before that med school before that premed.

That is a very broad example but you get the idea. Building backward to where you are takes some research and that should be your first step in realizing any dream. Get to know the industry, the impacts and hidden costs of the job or activity that interests you. In the doctor example, know that it means a lot of long hours and time on call, high stress at times and having to deliver bad news. Your research should also allow you to start getting an idea of the path from the dream to where you are.

As you start to travel this path forward you will doubtlessly see opportunities and ways to refine the plan. Go with them. Your plan should not be set in stone but rather be something a bit more viscous. I say viscous rather than fluid because you do not want to change your plan on a whim, while at the same time it still needs some elasticity.