Dreams, Wishes and Goals

(Inspired by the Emma Approved blog)

What is your dream? What do you wish? 

Did you know that they aren't the same thing?

A wish is a longing for something you don't have. It's a powerful want that is usually driven by the way you view the world. Some people wish for little or don't wish for anything. Other people wish for the most dramatic and life changing events to occur in their life. Regardless of what you wish for, it's important to know that wishing is one thing, and working toward what you want is another. 

That's where dreams come in. Where do you see yourself in five years? In ten? What are you doing currently to get there. That's right! Dreams are goals that you set and begin working toward. But dreams are not predictable or constant. 

People change. And, as a result, what they want and where they want to be changes. 

So how do you recognize what's a dream and what's a wish?

Easy. Which are you willing to work toward? 

You can wish for a perfect life, but are you willing to work for it? What do you believe you can do to get there? And let's be honest. There is no such thing as a perfect life. 

So the first step to discovering your dream, is to look at what you want, and decide what you are willing to do to get it. 

Once you recognize your dream, the next thing to do is set a goal. 

This could be a daily goal (like mine of writing every day) or a goal over months or years at a time. 

I know most of us don't want to remember school, but what did you have to get the work done? A deadline. Setting a certain amount of time is an important structure to check your progress and feel accomplished once the goal is met. 

Now here's the tricky part.

Once you have your goals, you have to stick to them, and this can be difficult. 

There will be days you want to avoid it. Days you may even want to give up will test your patience, expectations and overall view of your life. 

So once you set goals, you have to make sure that they are realistic. Can you write a book in a day? Probably not. A week? Maybe a short story? How about a month? (There is a contest to do this in November) 

So before you set your goals, check your motivation, time and realistic expectations. 

Once you have a goal, it's time to give yourself a pep talk. Don't Give Up! Keep Moving Forward! 

This has been (hopefully) an inspirational post.