Man, alone, has the power to transform his thoughts into physical reality; man, alone, can dream and make his dreams come true. – Napoleon Hill
For many, a dream will always remain just a dream. To a certain minority of people however, it is a destination. Depending on which group you’re in, the latter can either skip this post or otherwise.
Now that you are still here, have it ever occur to you the difference between the two? Let’s not focus on the difference in characteristic today and instead focus on the dream itself.
“Make your dream a reality”
While there is no changing your reality overnight, you can change your dream almost instantly.
Think about this, if your dream provides you with the road map you need to reach it, now wouldn’t you be a step closer to your realizing your dream already.
After all, everyone wants to make their dream a reality. Right?
Assuming this is the case, which I hope it is, these are some of the biggest mistakes you want to avoid making with your dream.
1. You dream big – Some are going to argue with me on this one. My point is this; If you dream big, you are most likely to be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of work needed, luck, expertise and contacts to make it happen. On the other hand, if you dream something less remarkable, the chances are more likely that you might work on it. It is more important to encourage first step than discourage action. Think small, act big!
2. You dream the destination and not the journey – Everyone is guilty of this. I know I am. It’s so much better to dream a happy ending than it is working your way in realizing your dream, in your dream! “Am I not already paying my dues with 9-5 and you still want to harass me in my sleep?” Fair enough. But if you only dream the destination, you won’t be putting too much thoughts on the journey in making it happen, which is bad.
3. Your dream is not focused – Some people are indecisive, which are shown in the number of different dreams they come to have. You need to make up your mind which one you want to roll with.
4. Your dream has no questions -Assuming your focus is money, some questions you should ask yourself are:
- How much are you making in your dream?
- What job are you holding in your dream?
- What line of business are you doing in your dream?
5. Your dream does not provide direction – Direction plays an important role in determining whether you will take action or sleep it off like any other night. Questions to ask are:
- What skills do I need?
- Where do I learn?
- How much must I have to invest?
- How do I get the money?
- Who must I approach?
- Where do I start?
Your current reality is the accumulation of choices you made in the past. To dream your new reality simply means making new choices that will bring you closer to your goals. But before you can put things into action, you need a plan. This is exactly that. Now that you have a specific dream, a direction and a plan, all that is left is for you to execute it. Check out 22 mistakes you should not make with your goals and you’re good to go.
Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment box below. Remember to subscribe me if you haven’t 
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Hey Karlil!!
awwwsome site.
really digg the design and overall freshness. yaddamean?!
dreams are amazing. problem is they’re dreams… and wording them as dreams makes them stay dreams. rather word them as though they’re reality, in the present tense.
wording ‘em as dreams will make ‘em stay just that…
haha.
keep in touch
alex -unleashreality
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I might argue with No. 1 – but I understand your argument. I think both are valid.
Think big – can create the vision and desire you might need to really start something big. Shoot for the stars so you can land on the moon is something used by a lot of powerful achievers.
But if you get afraid by the size and distance of your goal, you should make it smaller.
Your emotional reaction towards it should guide you. If you feel empowered and ready to go by a big goal, then do it.
If you feel blocked, then make it smaller, more achievable in your mind
Patrick´s last blog ..5 Steps to Wipe the BS from Your Mind
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I’ve been always dreaming my life and so far I’ve been very lucky with choosing my dreams.
)
I can’t say that my way of dreaming had any scientific background, I just felt that it was what I wanted and somehow it just happened (you can call it female intuition maybe
I agree with your advice Karlil. I think you must know exactly what you want and be determined to get it no matter what. Your dream must turn into your goal and not just some fantasy. You must plan your dream and treat it like your main game plan.I think the most important thing is that you must not forget about your dream even for a day. If you want your dream to come true then every day you must make a step to be closer to that dream. You can’t just sit and wait for the miracle to happen, you must grab every opportunity that will take you even one inch closer to your dream. That’s what I’ve been doing and now a lot of my dreams are already my reality and I am working on new ones
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I could have argued your # 1 but I understood you point. Think small, act big. The truth is great things start from small beginnings, so if you dream big, you always start with small.
It is said that all things are created twice, first in the mind then second is in reality. Unfortunately some people are stuck with the first creation.
Walter´s last blog ..How to catch a reader’s attention
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@Alex
Glad you like my blog Alex. I’ve been tweaking for weeks now. Going to change the logo soon. I can’t agree with you more.
Dream is a word that sound so far from reality. I would love to call it a goal, so it is something that i am moving toward. But for some people, they just stop there. They don’t go as far as to think of chasing it. Which is why i wrote this post. Cheers
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@Patrick
Yeah Patrick. I’m the type who works harder when I dream big, but first i must know if I’m able to achieve it. If not, i’ll just keep dreaming
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@Anastasiya
Indecisive is bad. I’ve have been one for the past 23 years of my life. I’m 24 btw. If only I know what i wanted at a younger age, I would have cross the sea to get it.
Thanks for the comment
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@Walter
I knew a lot will argue with me on the first one. Both have valid points just like Patrick said. And I’m glad you think the same as well Walter.
I would rather have a smaller dream so i’ll work on my first step rather than be discouraged by it and continue my day dreaming session.
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Great post Karlil, probably your clearest one that I’ve read yet.
I wouldn’t say don’t dream big. I would say split big dreams into as many small pieces as possible, and than don’t look at it like I have to reach this or I fail. Just start moving in that general direction, and enjoy the journey. Which will be a lot easier if you take the time to figure out why that is what you want, and what type of person that would make you.
JS Dixon´s last blog ..The Hidden Value of Difficulties
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That’s probably because it’s short JS compared to my other post ;p But i’m glad you like it.
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Dreaming big is not a problem, as long as you are present for the journey every step of the way. All dreams, big and small, are accomplished by actions in the present.
I am learning to dream big – to blow the limits off the ceiling and have anything be possible. This perspective is actually making me more focused every day.
Gail @ A Flourishing Life´s last blog ..Accepting Everything
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Hey Karlil, awesome post. I really like your writing and I can’t wait to see the changes you are talking about.
Oscar – freestyle mind´s last blog ..The Zero Hour Workweek By Jonathan Mead
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@gail
Hi Gail. I think it depends on the individual. I guess in part i was wrong to generalize everyone to have the same problem of dreaming big. I am one of those who rather have smaller dreams so i can motivate first step toward action.
Once i’m done with the first step however, i’ll dream big so in case i didn’t shoot the star, i’ll land at the moon, just like Patrick said in the comment above.
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Glad you like the post Oscar. The changes will come in a few days
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My take on #1 is to dream big to create the main outlines of an exciting dram, and then dream small to fill them in.
…not all dreams need to be big and exciting, though. It’s good to have big ones and bread-and-butter ones.
Kye´s last blog ..raison d’etre
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Hey Karlil, I love your site’s look and feel. Well done.
To your wonderful post, I would add…
DREAMING + IMPLEMENTING = BLISS
There’s dreaming, and then implementing.
Dreaming without implementing is fantasizing.
Implementing without dreaming is GTD.
Dreaming AND implementing is bliss!
When I dream, I want to use my mind’s fullest imaginative capacity. No boundaries. Magic carpet-ride the far reaches on my imagination – my inner-magician! Write, draw, mind-map what you experience. Capture the full dimension of the dream.
Then…CRAP-test the dreams. CRAP stands for Check Realities And Practicalities. This will help you create a short-list of what you CAN implement, and in what priority.
Karlil, many of your excellent points will help here.
Great to be a part of your community.
Best to all, Robin
Robin Dickinson´s last blog ..Moving ovation for a hero: Jobs thanks his life-giver
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I can’t agree more guys
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