What takes a dream from being just a dream to being real? To being an actual part of your life? I know we all have dreams, but how many of us take the time to ensure our dreams become reality? How do you go from dreaming to living your ideal life? In my experience there’s only one way to make your dreams happen and that is by taking action.
So how do you go from dreaming to taking action on your dreams? It’s the simplest thing in the world even though most of us make it out to be the most difficult. You must start doing something. The only way you’ll ever make a start on your dreams is if you stop making excuses why you can’t, and take that first step toward making your dream your reality.
Plan With Action In Mind
Taking action is the part after all the thinking and planning and researching. You can plan all you want but until you take that first step that constitutes an action, your dreams remain firmly in your head. While you may think that all the planning you’ve done is you starting your course of action, it’s not. Of course it tells you what you should be doing and when but until you actually start doing, nothing will change for you.
Taking action means doing something that will move you closer to your end result. Even the smallest of steps count. However, until that first action is complete, you’re no further along than you were when your were thinking of your plan six months ago. Only you can turn your idea into action. Once you start, the momentum builds and it’s easier to take further action.
Time Marches On
I recently began decluttering my home ahead of a move we will make later in the year. During this process, I have realised how much stuff we have accumulated that is just not necessary. Lots of this old stuff is going, it’s hard to believe we keep hold of so many unnecessary items and move them around with us from place to place throughout our lives.
While going through some old documents and deciding what I need to keep (not much) and what needs to be shredded (almost everything), I found lots of old bills and bank statements from 2009-2012. As I checked through them and put them in the pile for shredding, I was struck by how much my life has changed since these documents were current.
Appreciate Your Journey
Back in 2009 my life was very different. At the end of 2008, I had just returned from a very successful stint of travelling and arrived back in the UK with virtually no money, no job and no place to live. I briefly stayed with family while I arranged my own accommodation. Once I was installed in my new residence, I began my search for work.
It wasn’t easy as we were in the midst of the recession during this time. After about three months of job hunting, I was finally offered a part time position. Even though I really needed full time employment, I accepted the role anyway, because surely earning something was better than earning nothing. Paying my rent and expenses during the time had been looking for work had exhausted the money I had left.
It was a difficult time for me, trying to keep my head above water financially, whilst looking for full time work. The bills started to pile up and my bank was charging me for unauthorised overdraft use. Eventually, I found full time work and slowly I was able to turn my finances around. These old bills and bank statements were some of the documents I found recently. I was forced to remember how difficult it was, but the thing I felt most was an overwhelming sense of gratitude.
Action Leads To Progress
Remembering back to this time in my life has made me realise how far I have come since then. Sure, that wasn’t the easiest time for me but I figured it out and I’m still here to tell the tale. None of the events that I have experienced since that time would have happened if I hadn’t taken action to change my situation. Back then the action I took was to make my existence more bearable. But now the actions I take are specific and focused on making my big dreams come to life.
- If I hadn’t taken action and gone travelling, I’d still be sat at home wondering what the rest of the world looks like.
- If I hadn’t taken action and found myself my own accommodation, I’d still be staying with family.
- If I hadn’t taken action to search for a job, I’d still be unemployed today.
- If I hadn’t taken action to change my financial situation for the better, I’d still be drowning in debt.
Keep Taking Action
Since then, I have taken action on hundreds of ideas and goals. The key to success is to be consistent and gain momentum. Once you start taking action, keep taking action. Remind yourself of the end result you desire. What do you need to do to bring that result closer to you? That is what you must take action on. Do it now. Do it today. Don’t wait or put it off until tomorrow. Don’t talk yourself out of it because you’re not sure if it will work. Do it anyway, if it doesn’t work you’ll have learned something.
Doing something rather than nothing is a definitive way to start taking action. Progress requires action and you can start with the smallest step. What is one thing you can do today that will start you on your path to achieving your dreams? What makes you enthusiastic about your dreams? Start by doing the thing that makes you feel good. When you experience the joy that taking action can bring you’ll be motivated to keep taking consistent action.
Final Thoughts
When you take the first step, you’ll be surprised how your progress can spur you on. Make taking action part of your daily routine. Start a to do list with your next steps listed in order. Each evening when you’re performing your evening routine, cross your completed task off the list. Then set the next task up for tomorrow. Do your action as early in the day as possible. When you tackle your most important activity first, you’ll feel inspired and impelled to keep the momentum going.
Taking action is by far the most valuable factor of the achievement process. When you make the effort to take action on your goals consistently and often, you’ll become a fast and efficient operator. When you start taking action on the small dreams, you make space for the big dreams. Before you know it, you’ll be well on the way to achieving more than you ever thought possible.
