“Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe.” – Gail Devers
This past week (February 22) marked the one year anniversary of our e-book’s launch. Over the past year, Simplify. 7 Guiding Principles to Anyone Declutter Their Home and Life has sold over 2,600 copies and it continues to sell every single day. Its launch was truly a life-changing experience.
And it continues to be the evidence of a dream fulfilled.
For nearly 35 years of my life, I wanted to write a book… to be an author. Selfishly, I wanted the pride that I associated with having my name written on a book’s cover. Unselfishly, I wanted to provide valuable inspiration to others… in a form that could far outlive me.
And given the fact that I wanted to write a book that people actually read, Simplify has indeed become the tangible realization of a lifelong dream. Actually, this past year has been defined by the fulfillment of a number of lifelong dreams:
- Dream: Spend more time with my family. Accomplished by finding minimalism.
- Dream: Write a book. Accomplished in February, 2010. Again in August, 2010.
- Dream: Run a marathon. Finished in May, 2010. Time: 4:31.
- Dream: Save Financial Emergency Fund: Accomplished in November, 2010.
I’ve discovered over the past year that dreams come in all shapes and sizes. But their fulfillment is almost always found in the same 7 steps…
1. Select a dream to fulfill. Some of us have so many dreams swirling in our minds, we don’t know where to start… while others of us are unable to put our finger on even one. Whether the decision be to write a book, run a marathon, buy a home, or find true love, fulfillment always starts with the intentional identification of one single goal and the heartfelt conviction to accomplish it. Take some time. Pick one. And then, set out to accomplish it.
2. Believe it is achievable. Unfortunately, too many people will never accomplish their dreams because they simply refuse to believe in themselves. Optimism is absolutely required for dream fulfillment and life enjoyment. If you don’t have natural self-confidence, make finding it your first dream to accomplish. I suggest, “A Helpful Guide to How to Be More Confident” If you do have self-confidence, begin to specifically direct it towards your chosen goal.
3. Ask for help. People have gone before you. Learn as much as you can from them. When I decided to run a marathon, I read How to Run Your First Marathon and talked to my co-worker Carole almost every single week. When I decided to write an ebook, I talked to Jeramiah (technology), Martha (editing), and Jana (title/outline). Each had information that I needed and played a significant role in helping me accomplish my dreams. Don’t let your pride be the one obstacle that keeps you from them. Instead, humble yourself and ask for help.
4. Adjust your life as necessary. By definition, if you have not accomplished your dream yet, you’ll need to adjust your lifestyle to accomplish it. And while some of the adjustments may be major, they always start small:
- Running a marathon starts with running one mile.
- Writing a book starts with deciding on a subject.
- Clearing your home of clutter starts with cleaning one drawer, closet, or room.
- Losing 50 pounds starts with changing one meal.
- Buying a home starts with saving one dollar.
Fulfilling your dreams will require you to change your lifestyle – one small step at a time. And while there may be a large number of steps to take, the good news is that the first one is completely achievable… and so is the second…
5. Set a deadline. Deadlines force our hand and call us to action. Therefore, it is absolutely essential to pick a realistic timeline and get moving. Buy a home in the next 3 years. Fix your marriage in the next year. Lose 20 pounds in the next 6 months. Or start a blog in the next 30 days. Find a calendar, a red marker, and a day. Go ahead, circle it. After all, a dream without a deadline is just a wish.
6. Tell others. I have found limitless encouragement by sharing my dreams with others. The number of people cheering for me automatically doubles. Soon, it triples. Suddenly, I’m not just trying to let myself down, but I’m trying to not let my friends down as well. And the cost of failure has just increased.
7. Stay focused. By nature, dreams will require perseverance. There will be successes and failures along the way. Those who persevere through the failures will accomplish their dreams. Those who give up will return to step #1. And if you’ve gotten this far, why would you want to start over? Instead of allowing failures to kill your dreams, use them to refocus you and your resolve.
On a side note, I realize all too well that the circumstances of life ebb and flow. I humbly recognize that the positive circumstances of my life this past year have allowed these dreams to be accomplished. One major illness, accident, or misstep could have derailed any of them listed above. If you currently find the circumstances of life derailing you from reaching your dreams, let me encourage you. Don’t lose hope. Just redirect your dreams.
In the comment section, I’d be interested to hear if you can specifically identify with any of these seven steps. Are their goals in your life that you are working to accomplish? If so, what are they? And which of the steps above are you currently working towards?
PB says
What do you do if you have no dreams?
Find one!
“The core of mans’ spirit comes from new experiences.” Christopher McCandless (Into The Wild)
No one was born knowing what he wanted to be. By being exposed to new experiences, we gradually find out what makes us happy, what makes us angry. When I was young, I got very angry when I saw trees being cut down in my neighbourhood, and it showed me that protecting the Earth was my passion.
So don’t worry if you don’t have a dream. Travel, volunteer, change jobs, talk to new people, get a new hobby,… just search in new places and I’m sure you can find your dreams!
pintu Kumar says
What do you do if you have no dreams? I feel like I used to have interests years ago, before university and multiple depressive episodes, but I’ve lost them. All that’s left is work (in a profession I am ill-suited for and will soon leave), cleaning and purging in preparation for an international move, and my husband. How do people develop interests and dreams? How do people identify their talents? I’ve come across many articles on fulfilling dreams recently, but none on developing a self from scratch. I would love to hear some ideas.
Gary says
Hi Pintu,
You’ve been to university! Good for you! Do you know how many people WISH they went to university, but couldn’t (for many reasons)? That’s an achievement to just get there! Give yourself some credit :-)
If you’ve lost your sense of dreams and aspirations, then you’re probably sharing the same problem as practically half the people on our planet.
I was lucky to know what I wanted to do most when I was still at school. Three more lifetimes have passed and I have fulfilled most of my dreams that I had back then, but more dreams keep coming, and I doubt that will ever stop (and hope that too!)
A dream is about imagining yourself having or achieving something that you want.. It’s about doing something that you believe will make you happy. It’s about imagining how you will feel when you have it. It’s about the struggle of getting there and the disappointments and setbacks when you so nearly achieved your goal. It’s about the persistence to get back up and have another go and not let past experience getting in the way, preventing you from winning your prize. Ultimately, it’s about the amazing sense of self-belief, self-confidence, euphoria, relief and sense of achievement at the end. You can then look back and wonder how you made it and probably cry as it all rolls into one. Savour it.#
Once you’ve achieved your first goal once, there’s a reinforcement that you can do it again. You do it twice, and you believe in yourself.
You can do it. Again. And again. And again.
In short. Do what makes you happy. That’s the most important. If it’s not making you happy, stop doing it, if you have the choice. If you don’t have the choice, what steps will you take to make a change that will enable you to have a choice? Why give up before you’ve started? Would you prefer to resign yourself to defeat, or will you die trying, or will you be happier once you’ve achieved it? I’d go for the latter two options as I have control over those options.
Remember, nothing happens overnight and don’t expect something to happen quickly, and don’t expect it to be just given to you. The world owes you nothing. This is the beginning of your long journey of learning. experience, highs and lows, hard work and an immense reward at the end, waiting just for you.
I wish you the best of luck on your new physical, emotional and spiritual journeys. Wow! It’s gonna be great!
Ian says
Dream fulfilling
The rotation of earth raises the sun,
As night time hides-a new day’s begun.
Each cycle each day we work and we play,
We wait for the nighttime to take us away.
We dream of all the things we may do,
Then we hope that our dreams and our wishes come true.
We prey for these things from day to day,
Then prey for moor time to for fill what we say.
But time it moves on relentlessly,
Not waiting one second for you or for me.
Space is this place on earth we’re living,
The time is now for dream fulfilling.
We dream of what we can do,
Then hope some day our dreams will come true.
Today is that brand new day-
Do something small and forfill what you say…
Remember that’s one less day you are here,
Sooner than later that’s one less year,
Do something positive,
Do something right,
Lead your dreams into the light…
Ian copywright 2011
Lemur says
What do you do if you have no dreams? I feel like I used to have interests years ago, before university and multiple depressive episodes, but I’ve lost them. All that’s left is work (in a profession I am ill-suited for and will soon leave), cleaning and purging in preparation for an international move, and my husband. How do people develop interests and dreams? How do people identify their talents? I’ve come across many articles on fulfilling dreams recently, but none on developing a self from scratch. I would love to hear some ideas.
Scott Saunders says
here’s a video on the dreams portion of our site: http://vimeo.com/25045551
Scott Saunders says
Really great to read these responses! Our team has built a site called Payoff.com to help people “fulfill their dreams” in the context of personal finance and we’re pushing a new version of the site live on June 27th. Part of our premise is, we think budgets suck! Budgets suck because they don’t usually work. There is nothing inherently wrong with keeping a budget and it can be useful for some people after understanding why they are budgeting. The main problem we at Payoff have with budgets is that they are not the panacea they are made to seem in the world of personal finance. A budget alone does not ensure success with your finances. A good handle on the big picture can accomplish far more than even the most carefully crafted of budgets. Budgets focus on the details, but if you’re off with the big picture, the details don’t matter. People need to start with their dreams and goals. Where do they want to go in life? What’s important to them? What do they want to accomplish? This is the context that makes caring about the details of money worthwhile. Context is everything. Once people clearly articulate their dreams and goals, they may better exhibit the restraint in their spending that budgets are meant to encourage more naturally without the drudgery of pie charts and spreadsheets. And if they do decide that a budget is necessary for them, they’ll be far more likely to live by it. Sometimes hard work pays off and sometimes people put a lot of hard work into things like budgets that don’t get them the outcome their after. Clearly articulating your dreams and goals pays off! Sharing your dreams and goals with a group of encouraging supporters pays off! Helping other people accomplish their dreams and goals pays off! Living within your means and having the money to fulfill your dreams pays off! At Payoff, we want individuals to get maximum impact for their effort–we want them to GET PAYOFF!
Leah says
Awesome article and very helpful for me as I embark on some life changing adventures that have required me choose a solo life for a while. I feel more focused and it’s encouraging to know that there are people also where I am. Thank you. Leah
Living the Balanced Life says
Joshua,
Congrats on your ebook anniversary!
You have given some wonderful tips here for fulfilling a dream. I love that the first thing you have is to choose a dream. So many people are miserable but they don’t know what they’d rather be doing!
Here’s to another year!
Bernice
Change what you can, accept what you can’t
Ravi Gupta says
I couldn’t agree more with some of the things that you mentioned. I have to constantly remind myself that Rome wasn’t built in a day and that it will take time and effort to eventually reach my goals.
Thank you for inspiring me to keep on going the extra mile. Your blog is amazing.
-Ravi Gupta
anon says
Congrats! Being able to fulfill dreams big and small is a fine thing, thanks for a few tips on how you got it done :)