A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.   Why is it that many of us have difficulty taking those small steps along the road towards making our dreams a reality?  

We wish to start our own business, own the ideal house or achieve financial freedom.  However, we may make excuses to ourselves.  We say “tomorrow I may make a start on this”  “tomorrow I might do that”.  Procrastination means that for most people tomorrow never comes.

I am going to focus on four key stages on the road to turning a dream into reality.

The first stage, is knowing exactly what you are trying to achieve.  Visualise your dream. 

Secondly, you need to have a plan or a map of how you aim to reach your goals.  To borrow a quote from Alan Lankein, Time Management Expert and Author, “Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail”.  It’s a good idea to write down your goals and then break them down into small steps.  Even if you only manage to take one small step on a regular basis, you will be moving towards your goal.  Study other people who have been successful in this particular endevour.  How did they achieve this?

Thirdly, be organised. The average person watches at least 4 hours of TV per day.  Although some programmes are interesting and informative, whilst watching TV it is impossible to engage in any other activity.  Therefore cutting those hours spent watching could free up some time to be spent on some other activity such as working towards your goals or planning your next steps. 

I used to be a big fan of the TV soap Eastenders. Even to the extent that I would not only watch the weekly episodes but also the omnibus edition at the weekend.   Eventually I realised how much of my precious time I was wasting on this activity.  I asked myself if the programme was helping me in any way?  Was it making me feel good?  Did I want a part in the cast of Eastenders?  The answer to all these questions was a resounding “NO”.  Once I stopped watching the programme not only did I feel much better but I also had more time to take steps toward my goals in the evening.

Another good idea is to utilise dead time such as that spent commuting to read or learn from tapes.

Finally, start taking action to move towards your goal with total determination.   Some years ago a young man had a dream to become an excellent public speaker.  He knew that the key to this goal would be consistent practice.  Therefore, he booked himself to speak at an average of 3 engagements per day to anyone who would listen.  While other people in his organisation had an average of 48 speaking engagements per year he would have a similar number in two weeks.  Within one month he had the equivalent of two years worth of experience.  After one year he had the total of a decade’s worth of growth.  His associates talked enviously about how lucky he was to have been born with such an “innate” talent.  However, you have to ask yourself how much of this was down his persistence rather than any inborn aptitude.   That young man, by the way, was Anthony Robbins whose work in the motivational field has provided inspiration to many around the world. 

What is the difference between being involved in something and being totally committed?  Imagine a plate of bacon and eggs.  You could say that the hen was involved but the pig was committed.  Many people don’t realise the difference between involvement and commitment.

95% of success is just turning up.  The total sum of success is 5% inspiration and 95% perspiration.  Why do people fail to achieve their dreams?  They either fail to take action.  Fail to action an action plan or fail to take the necessary action in a series of steps leading to the desired results.

Don’t let fear stop you from taking action.  Doing nothing is a recipe for failure. 

I’d like to quote on the greatest speeches by Mr Winston Churchill in its entirety…  which consists of just 9 words..

“Never Give Up, Never Give Up, Never Never Never”.