Dreaming is vital. I’m not referring to slumbering dreams, I mean the dreams that keep us wanting more, big or small. Some would call these goals (boring!). I think calling them dreams is much more attractive. On the downside referring to goals as dreams can also make them seem unattainable, more like wishes. Can our dreams come true? I’m a firm believer that yes, we can make our dreams come true. Unfortunately many times we leave our dreams to linger in the bottom of our hearts, in dusty hidden notebooks, or lost in our brains in thoughts of yearning only to never have a chance to become reality. So, here it is, the big reveal.

Do this to make your dreams come true:

1. Figure out what you want. What is your dream?
2. Dream big, but set attainable milestones.
3. Don’t let fear get in your way. It has a pesky way of breeding.
4. Surround yourself with people who believe in you and support you. Leave those behind that get in your way.
5. Fall in love with your dream. Think about how powerful love is – it’s usually not easy to let go of something we love.
6. Refuse to take no for an answer. If after refusing to take no for an answer, it’s still a no—stand your ground and get creative.
7. Move from thinking to action. Everyone says action is what counts, so when you act you’re closing the gap between dream and reality.
8. Embrace the lessons that trip you. If something keeps knocking at your door, answer it. If a door keeps closing, find a different door. If you fail to embrace the lesson one of two things will happen, it will continue to disrupt you and get in the way of your dream, or you will have missed what could have been a grand opportunity.
9. Be more like the people you admire who have made their dreams come true.
10. Do one thing every day that brings you closer to realizing your dream.

As I sit here writing at a local breakfast place, I wonder what else needs to be added to the list. In my pondering I hear a song playing in the restaurant and it’s about making your dreams come true. What a goose bumpy lucky coincidence. It gives me an important item for the list.

11. Avoid using the word “fail.” It’s a yucky word. Instead substitute it with something like, “I’ve given myself another chance to try.”
12. Repeat.

Whatever your dream may be: starting a business, growing a vegetable garden, becoming healthier, learning to fly a plane, learning to believe in yourself, getting a job, creating social change, making art, living the life you want…the moment is now because as Eleanor Roosevelt so intelligently said, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

Today is the day.

P.S. This does not apply if your dream is winning the lotto! That’s pure luck.