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“Our truest life is when we are in dreams awake.” – Henry David Thoreau

Dreaming. 

In many ways, dreams are the ‘stuff’ life is made of. 

We think of dreams as the stuff we want to do and achieve in the future. 

We dream about the kind of life we want to live, the type of car we want to drive, the level of success we’d like to achieve, and the breadth of experiences we’d like to enjoy over the course of our lifetime. 

Dreaming helps you to get excited about what you want to do with your life. 

But here’s the issue:

A lot of people ‘give up’ on dreaming. 

A lot of people get jaded by life, and they stop believing in the awesome things they could achieve in the future. 

They settle into ‘survival’ mode, and work the same dead-end job for the same low wage, struggling to find a sense of purpose, passion, or meaning in life. 

But there’s a big problem with this. 

If you stop dreaming, you’re also highly likely to stop achieving. 

There’s a quote by Oscar Hammerstein II that I love to reference on the subject of dreaming:

“If you don’t have a dream, how are you going to make a dream come true?”

I wholeheartedly believe in the power of dreaming. In fact, I’ve manifested this for myself through my success in my own life. 

And I don’t just believe in dreaming…

I believe in dreaming big. 

Maybe you’re starting to doubt the effectiveness of dreaming. 

Maybe you’re struggling to see the point in ‘dreaming big’ when life is so full of disappointments, failures, and setbacks. 

Well, if you’re discouraged about dreaming today, this post is for you. 

Today, you’re going to learn:

  1. Why dreaming BIG is essential
  2. How to turn your dreams into goals
  3. How dreams can lead you to major success in life
  4. How to get started today with turning your dreams into reality

It’s not rocket science. 

You just need a bit of help and guidance to get started. 

So let’s take it from the top, and start at step #1. 

Getting Started On Your Dreams

Charles Buxton quote

The very first thing to remember about dreaming is that dreaming is only the first part of the equation. 

First, you dream. 

Then, you turn those dreams into goals. 

Then, you start breaking down your bigger goals into small daily goals; which will help you to achieve the bigger goals; which will eventually lead to you succeeding at the things you dream about. 

And of course, at the center of this entire process one simple rule: 

Write down your goals, and stick to them. 

Let’s talk about the bare-bones basics of this process, and talk about how you can get started right now. 

1. Start Small

Starting small is good. 

You may have big dreams. In fact, I hope that you have big dreams. 

But one thing to remember about big dreams is that they can sometimes seem impossible when they’re the only thing you’re looking at. 

That’s why you need to make a plan and start small. 

So the first thing to do is to just start taking small steps that’ll lead you in the general direction of your dream. 

Set some daily and weekly goals for yourself that’ll start to carry you in the direction you wish to travel in. 

For example: 

Maybe your dream is to play the piano in an orchestra—to be a professional, successful musician who gets to perform on movie soundtracks, in the theater, etc. 

Awesome!

You’ve identified a dream. 

Now, start making simple daily goals that’ll help to carry you in that direction. 

For example, maybe you make a goal that says you’ll practice the piano for 20 minutes per day. 

See, this is a small, highly achievable goal. 

So start writing it down in a notebook, journal, or goal planner. 

Do it every day, and then mark it off when you complete it. 

It may not take you all the way to joining the orchestra. There’ll obviously be a lot of steps in-between. 

But just setting and writing down this small, doable goal will help you to start traveling in the right direction. 

It’ll begin the process of carrying you toward your goal, and priming your mind, body, and spirit to manifest your bigger dreams over time. 

2. Build Up Your Confidence 

As you continue to delve deeply into this smaller goal, you’ll start to increase your confidence and build momentum. 

You’ll likely discover that you’re getting a lot better at playing the piano. 

You’ll start to develop skills and abilities that you’ve never had before. 

And this will just further ignite and stoke the fire within you, pushing you forward toward your dream. 

If you’re truly passionate about your dream, and if you truly want it more than anything, then you’ll feel an undeniable drive come alive within you. 

You may not feel it every day. 

Some days, you may wake up and not want to play piano at all. 

But during this ‘confidence building’ portion of the process, it’s important to stick with it. 

  • Is playing in the orchestra still your passion? 
  • Is it the thing you think about when you’re dreaming about your future?

If the answer is yes, then stick with it. Keep writing down your goals, and don’t give up. 

As you continue to push forward, your newfound confidence will push you to continue learning, building, working, and grinding to work your way toward the things you truly desire for yourself. 

3. Work Your Way Up To Bigger Dreams

As you continue to set these smaller goals and pursue them, you’ll likely learn even more about what it’ll take to accomplish your dream. 

  • Maybe you’ll start to look into taking piano lessons. 
  • Maybe you’ll start looking into certain colleges that’ll give you a better chance of joining the orchestra you want to join. 
  • Maybe you’ll realize that you can do other certain things to help you increase your odds for success. 

As you continue to move forward and work toward your goal, you’ll start wanting to adopt and write down more daily and weekly goals, to help move you even closer to realizing your dream. 

For example, maybe you: 

  • Start practicing for an hour per day instead of 20 minutes. 
  • Start taking lessons every week.
  • Start spending 1 hour every Monday and Friday researching different orchestras, colleges, and degrees to help you make a bigger plan for accomplishing your dream.
  • Start reading biographies of other famous piano players, to glean inspiration and information from their success stories. 

Of course, your specific dream will require you to start looking ahead, and plotting out which specific goals you should write down and deploy to help carry you forward to success. 

But it all starts with:

  1. Having a dream
  2. Turning that dream into goals
  3. Writing down those goals
  4. Doing the work

This is the recipe for long-term life success and the realization of the things you dream about. 

Alright. Now let’s move on and talk a bit about dreaming big. 

What Does It Mean To Dream Big?

Venus Williams quote

To dream big means to freely allow yourself to imagine and visualize what your life could be like, sparing no positive detail, and not holding yourself back with limiting beliefs. 

To ‘dream big’ means to look into the future, imagine the greatest possible scenario for your life, and to then believe in your heart and soul that you’re capable of achieving it.  

It means to imagine the best version of your life, and then to embrace that vision as a reality that’s completely within your grasp. 

For one of my students, his dream was to start his own business so that he could wake up every day doing what he loved. 

Of course, sometimes nailing down the exact details of your dream isn’t so easy. 

This particular student knew that he wanted to help people, but he wasn’t totally sure what that would look like. 

So he started writing down his goals, visualizing his future, pursuing his passions and talents, and just in-general striving to move every day in the general direction of what he wanted to do. 

See, he had a talent for writing. So he knew that he wanted writing to be a part of it. 

He also had a passion for helping people to make their lives better. So he knew that his business was probably going to involve writing things that would help to make people’s lives better. 

Eventually, through goal setting, trial, and error, he realized that starting a blog was probably the best way to move forward toward his dreams. 

But what should he blog about?

This was the next question that he needed to answer for himself. 

So he started just blogging about everything he loved and felt passionate about. 

Eventually, a few different subjects emerged as great candidates.

And that gave him a clue about the next leg of his journey. 

So he started growing a blog based specifically on those subjects, and ended up using it to grow an audience and leverage his knowledge and passion to start a profitable, purpose-driven business. 

But see, once again, this was all only possible because he was consistent in the daily process of writing down his goals. 

Every day, he started off with a simple daily goal, written down on his daily planner:

  • Write and publish 1 blog post about something I’m passionate about. 

He started small. 

And eventually, staying true to a ‘simple beginning’ revealed the next phase of his journey. 

And he just continued to press on, until his dream was fully realized. 

Today, he has literally mapped out 5 more businesses he plans to start over the course of the next 30 years. 

He is literally planning out his entire future, one dream… one goal… one milestone at a time. 

But this was only made possible when he allowed himself to believe in his dreams, and to believe that he was capable of achieving anything he set his mind to. 

Who Originally Said To ‘Dream Big?’

Many people all throughout history have espoused the idea of ‘dreaming big.’

It’s almost impossible to nail down exactly who said it first.

But if you type the phrase ‘dream big quotes’ into Google, you’ll come up with lists of literally hundreds of successful people who have discovered the advantages and merits of ‘dreaming big,’ and how this practice is so foundational to life success.

An Example Of Dreaming Big – The Elon Musk Story

elon musk quote

Elon Musk is a perfect example of a man who was never afraid to dream big dreams. 

As of October of 2021, Elon Musk’s net worth surpassed $300 billion, making him literally the first person on the planet to reach that milestone. 

But how? 

How did one man find a way to make that much money in one lifetime?

Here’s the thing about Elon Musk: 

He’s insanely brilliant. He literally has a genius-level intellect. 

And yet, in all of his interviews, he often credits his success not to his above-average intelligence, but to his work ethic and his ability to anticipate and solve problems. 

As a boy, his family used to think that he had hearing problems because he often didn’t respond when spoken to. 

But his parents eventually came to realize that he was just so deep into his daydreams that he didn’t pay attention to anything else. 

At the age of 12, he created a simple video game called Blastar, which he ended up selling to a magazine for $500. 

(Does this sound familiar? He started small, chasing his passions and exploring his talents. He didn’t start out with rocket ships and electric cars—he started out with a simple video game that he created just for the fun of it.) 

Now, get this. 

In 1992, Musk was accepted to the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned an undergraduate degree in economics. He also obtained a bachelor’s degree in physics. 

But then, he was accepted into the prestigious, Ivy League Stanford University, in California. 

For most people, the idea of attending such a prestigious school would sound like the golden ticket to success, right?

Well, Elon attended class for 2 days. 

Then, he dropped out. 

Why?

Because the internet boom was just beginning—and he decided to go full-bore to seize the opportunity to jump on it while it was still hot. 

His first company, Zip2 Corporation, was built in a small office that he shared with his brother. They both lived in it, and slept on the couch or the floor. 

They didn’t even have a shower! Instead, they’d shower at the YMCA. 

They were also so hard-up for money that they only had one computer. 

So by day, their software/website would be up and doing business. And then, by night, Musk would program, code, and work to improve it. 

He and his brother worked 7 days a week on Zip2

But, all of this hard work ended up paying off. 

Elon and his brother ended up selling Zip2 for $307 million in cash, and another $34 million in stock options. 

After this, he got started on his next big project—which led to PayPal, which was eventually bought out by Ebay for more than $1 billion. 

Then, in 2002, Elon founded SpaceX. 

See, we could go on and on about Elon’s success. 

But here’s the thing. 

With every single business that Elon Musk starts, there’s a dream of what it could be acting behind the scenes as a driving force. 

And he does whatever it takes to turn that dream into a reality. 

He learns, he sets goals, he works tirelessly, he solves problems, and he looks ahead into the future to anticipate what the world is going to need. 

This is an absolute recipe for success, and serves as an example of exactly what’s possible when you’re not afraid to dream big. 

Elon Musk is on track to be the first man to put humans on Mars. He may even succeed at this far before the United States government will manage to do it. 

That’s how powerful and effective he’s become at dreaming big, and turning those dreams into goals. 

Now, I’m not necessarily telling you that every person who dreams can do the same things that Elon Musk has done. 

But I am saying this:

Dreaming big is the very first step to accomplishing big things for yourself, and to becoming the very best version of yourself that you can possibly be. 

It all starts with dreaming big, and then turning those dreams into goals. 

Is It Bad To Have Big Dreams?

Jim Carry Quote

Some people don’t like the idea of ‘dreaming big.’ 

In fact, some people will tell you that big dreams are unrealistic. 

They may say things like:

“Dreaming big is just going to set you up for disappointment.”

Or…

“You have to be born rich or advantaged to accomplish big things. Normal people just need to be grateful for a ‘normal’ life.”

But it’s so important to understand that these are actually very cynical, pessimistic sentiments. 

See, a lot of people don’t believe in dreaming big. 

They prefer to look at the world with a ‘glass half empty’ mentality. 

Why?

Well, most of the time, they adopt this attitude because they just don’t believe that ordinary people can accomplish extraordinary things. 

It’s true that there’s no guarantee of success in life. 

But it’s also true that if you never strive for greatness, greatness will never happen. 

Nobody was ever truly ‘born into’ greatness. 

People like Elon Musk create greatness for themselves. 

But the only way they’re able to do it is by not being afraid to dream big, despite the risk of failure. 

I wholeheartedly believe that dreaming big is the first key to succeeding big in life. 

Is It Better To Be Realistic, Or To Dream Big?

Of course, you must be realistic about things to a certain point. 

You can’t defy the natural laws of the universe to pull success magically out of thin air. 

To achieve big dreams, you need to be willing to do big work. 

You need to be willing to do the types of work that most people are unwilling to do, and you need to be willing to put in longer, more consistent hours than most people are willing to put in. 

This is truly the difference. 

But of course, effort is only part of the equation. 

If you only tread water in life, you’ll struggle to succeed at moving in a forward direction. 

This is why goal-setting is so important. 

If you want to accomplish your dreams and move your life forward in a positive direction, it’s in your best interest to apply your effort to accomplishing the milestones that’ll eventually carry you toward the realization of your goals. 

Why Do Some People Say That ‘Dreaming Big’ Isn’t A Good Thing?

The truth of the matter is that some people don’t like the idea of dreaming big because it’ll require them to take responsibility for their own life and success. 

When you decide to dream big and set goals, you set yourself up to say “I have the power to create success for myself.” 

But when you adopt that mindset, you lose the ability to blame the negative circumstances of your life on external factors. 

A lot of people find comfort in blaming outside factors for why their life isn’t in a better place. 

They may blame rich people, a ‘rigged system,’ oppression, certain laws, the government, their family, their life circumstances, past trauma, etc. for the fact that they haven’t accomplished their dreams. 

Listen:

I know from firsthand experience that life will throw you curveballs. There are just no two ways around that. 

Life will chew you up and spit you back out again. 

But I also know that when you take full responsibility for your experience in life and refuse to blame external factors for your failures, you set yourself up for massive success. 

Why?

Because when you decide to accept full responsibility for yourself, you make an agreement with yourself to take on full control of your life, to do whatever is necessary to achieve your dreams. 

And you also agree to stop blaming your failure on external factors.

What Is Your Dream In Life?

Seth Godin quote

So now, it’s time to answer this big question for yourself. 

What is your dream in life?

Once again, if you’re not sure what your dreams are, start by identifying a general direction that you’d like to go in, and start writing down your goals to help you move forward in that direction. 

But here’s the most important thing to remember:

Dreaming big isn’t just a good thing. It’s a great thing. 

And I wholeheartedly encourage you to do it. 

Dreaming big isn’t always easy. 

But I think that Christopher Reeve may have said it best:

“So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.” – Christopher Reeve

What Are The Benefits Of Dreaming Big?

The benefits to dreaming big are numerous: 

  • You gain honest clarity about what you want to achieve in the future
  • You allow yourself to imagine whatever kind of future you desire for yourself
  • You stop holding yourself back with self-doubt and cynicism
  • You start looking at the world with a glass-half-full mentality
  • You unlock the ability to chart a course to the future you actually want
  • You gain the ability to set actual goals that you can start working toward to achieve your dream
  • You achieve the ability to start living your life as authentically and honestly as possible

So what are you waiting for?

How Do You Accomplish Big Dreams?

Mark Twain Quote

Alright. 

We’ve talked a lot about why dreaming big is important, and how goal-setting is a crucial part of the process. 

Now, it’s time to go over the specific steps that are required to start accomplishing your big dreams. 

These steps may seem overly simplistic at first. But you’ll soon realize that they’re actually a lot of work. 

You’ll also come to find that all of this work is a good thing. 

If achieving big dreams was easy, everyone would do it. 

1. Turn Your Dreams Into Goals

The very first step is to start thinking about the stepping stones that it’ll take to start accomplishing your dream. 

We’ve already talked about why this is important. 

Grab yourself a notebook, a journal, or any goal-achievement system, and prepare to get started. 

2. Write Down Your Goals

This doesn’t have to be perfect. 

As we’ve already talked about, you may just start out writing down some basic stuff that you want for your life. 

But the magic of achievement begins with writing things down, and then working to accomplish them. 

So start writing down your goals, and then start taking small steps toward accomplishing them. 

3. Be Specific

At first, your goals may not be super-specific. 

But over time, it’s important to start getting as specific as possible. 

Instead of writing down:

Work out. 

Start writing things like:

Do 50 jumping jacks and 25 pushups by 2 pm. 

4. Use SMART Goals 

As you grow more adept at goal-setting and start working into a regular goal-setting habit, you’ll want to start writing SMART goals for yourself. 

SMART is actually an acronym that stands for:

  • Specific
  • Measurable
  • Achievable
  • Relevant
  • Time-bound

Here’s a brief breakdown of how to get started with this specific style of goal-setting. 

How To Write Smart Goals

The idea behind SMART goals is that each one will incorporate 5 different elements. 

Specific

When you write down your goal, make it as specific and as well-defined as possible. Do this by answering questions like: Who, what, where, when, and why?

For example:

Instead of writing down “work out,” answer the what question:

What workout? Push ups. 

So now, you know that “push ups” is the specific work out goal you want to write down.

Measurable

Give each goal a criteria for measuring progress. 

For example, instead of just writing down “do push ups,” you can write down “do 25 push ups.” The number ‘25’ gives you a measurable metric to work toward. 

Achievable

Make sure that your goals are challenging, but achievable. 

For example, there’s a big difference between ’25’ pushups and ‘2500’ pushups! Challenge yourself, but make sure that your goal is doable. 

Relevant

How is this goal relevant to your dream, purpose, or vision? You could determine this by adding some context onto your goal. 

For example, instead of just writing “do 25 pushups,” you could write down “do 25 pushups to help build strong chest and arm muscles.” 

If your dream or vision is to build a more muscular torso, this helps you to remember why this specific goal is relevant and important. 

Time-Bound

Lastly, give every goal a deadline. This creates a sense of urgency. 

So for example, instead of just writing “do 25 pushups to help build strong chest and arm muscles,” you could write, “do 25 pushups by 2 pm today to help build strong chest and arm muscles.” 

5. Review, Revise, Go!

As you start writing down goals to carry you toward your dream, you may revise them and adapt them over time. 

Your overall goal, purpose, or vision might even change a bit. And that’s totally fine. 

Maybe you’ll start out with the goal of “Having an amazing, athletic, muscular body.”

Maybe this is part of the dream of becoming a world famous body-builder.

But then, over time, maybe your dream will change. Maybe your dream shifts to become something like this:

Having a healthy body that’ll help me to look, feel, and perform well so that I can become a movie star.

See, these are similar goals; but they’re also different enough that they might impact the way you write them down.

They may also require different specific behaviors to accomplish. 

Always make sure to keep updating your goals to reflect the newest version of your dream and purpose. 

And never be afraid to shift your vision a little bit as your passions and interests change. 

That’s how we grow and mature as people, and how we come to narrow down the specific version of our dream that we actually want to accomplish. 

There’s nothing wrong with changing your mind and adapting. 

Just always remember to keep dreaming, to keep turning those dreams into goals, and to keep writing down your goals every single day. 

You really can’t go wrong as long as you’re following this basic guideline for success. 

Need some additional help? Check out this post: How To Live Your Life On Purpose – 11 Steps.

In Conclusion

There you have it. 

A complete guide to dreaming big, turning your dreams into goals, and writing down those goals to start engineering your own success in life. 

All that’s left now is to take the first step, and write down that very first small goal. 

I’ll leave you with one more word of encouragement… in the form of one of my favorite quotes: 

“Whatever you do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius and power and magic in it.” – Goethe

You’ve got what it takes. 

So dream, dream, dream, and shoot for the stars. 

Now it’s time to get started. 

Best wishes:

Jay O’Donnell & Co.

Screenshot 2023-08-12 at 2.20.00 AM

Through successful strategies and emphasis on written goals, Jay empowers individuals to achieve meaningful objectives.

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