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What is the difference between a dream and a goal? A dream is something you would like to do, or to be, or to have, sometime in the future. We all have dreams. For many of us, a dream is only a dream, a vague, open-ended idea that few of us ever expect to achieve. But a dream can be turned into a goal just by following a few simple steps.

The first thing to do is to write down your dream. Write down as much detail about your dream as you can, and don't worry about grammar or proper spelling. You won't be showing it to anyone. Be sure to write down ways in which you think achieving your dream will benefit you. It would certainly make you very happy, of course. Will you gain the respect of someone you admire? Will you make money? Will it help someone else, such as a friend or family members? Will it make a difference in the world and the people in it?

Once you've written down everything you can think of about your dream, start thinking about what you will need to do to actually realize your dream. Do you need to learn a new skill, or do you need to buy tools and supplies? If you dream about starting a business, what kind of business do you want to have, and how much money will it take to start it? Would you like to be a Broadway star? Write down everything you think it will take to realize your dream. And don't let yourself get discouraged if your list gets too long, or if it is beginning to look like you will never be able to do it. You can.

Break your list down one more time. Write down the first thing you need to do and focus on it. Forget about the next thing on your list for now. This first step is actually your first goal. Think about what you need to do to reach this first goal. Can you do it tomorrow? For example, do you need to go to school to learn how to do something? In that case, you need to find what schools offer courses in subjects you need to learn. You can do that quickly by using the Internet, or by sending for course catalogs at local colleges. No matter what that first step is, concentrate on completing that first step. When you have completed that step, go on to the next one.

What if your dream is to be a millionaire? The logical first step is to figure out a way to put enough money aside to invest or to save. Do you need to know more about investing? Then start studying while you set a weekly goal to save whatever amount of money you can spare. Then, as your savings account increases, you will already know how to invest it wisely.

The next step is probably the most important. Do not throw away your paper. Look at it every day and write down your progress toward your goals. It is often easy to get discouraged unless you can see progress, so make a habit of writing down your success. Then make a list of the next step or steps you can take toward achieving your dream goal and start to work to complete that step. You will find that often times you can work on several steps at once, but be careful not to get ahead of yourself. Be patient and work on the steps as logically as you can.

Remember that very few things in life are truly impossible. Some things just take longer to accomplish than others. The important thing here is to keep working at achieving your dream. And on the day that you realize that you have achieved your dream-goal, celebrate your success and begin working on your next dream.

Learn more about this author, Mary Gindling.
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