Envisioning success can be an extremely easy and comfortable thing to do. You set your minds eye onto a life that fits in with who you want to be and where you want to be. Some people dream small, whilst some people dream big. No matter your perspective we all have goals. Coming up with targets is the easiest part, the process of achieving them is where the struggle starts, and it can be easy to get too secure in the former. Here are some steps you can take to ensure you don’t get too comfortable in your dreams.

Lost in fantasy

Before we get into the details of making sure you take the necessary steps needed to make fantasy a reality, allow me to give you an overview of my own personal experience…

Nearly my whole life I have had big ideas, dreams and personal development targets. “I will be this” or “I will do that”.

I have spent days, weeks, months, and years with the firm belief that I can hang with the best of them, but most of this belief has been based of my mentality rather than the reality. Does this make me deluded? I don’t think so. I have knocked on the door of and rubbed shoulders with some extremely successful people working in any industry I have been involved with. However it takes a lot of guts and persistence, bravery and courage, to fully cement yourself as a key player in your chosen field.

Pushing hard towards your aspirations leaves you in an extremely vulnerable position. Where as living in your mental bubble and dreaming that you deserve to be what you want to be makes you feel safe and warm - hence why it is possible for you to get lost in there - and then only dumb luck will get you to your end goal.

The dream to be a content creator

For years I wanted to write. I was full of ideas and opinions and was very lucky to grow up in a time where sharing those thoughts was easier than ever. I had countless content ideas, from comedy, diet information, sport, and the arts. Several blogs were started  - all of them ended.

It wasn’t until the last 12 months, as I was saying goodbye to my twenties, that I realised I had become too complacent with my ideas and too distant from the work needed to bring them to life. With that in mind I practised hard, I created content, then I created some more. I did everything I could to ensure I was in the best position to start making my dreams come true.

In the past 6 months of posting I have been ridiculed and abused online, at times leaving my confidence in the gutter. It would have been easy for me to withdraw and go back to the safety net of my mind and remain a dreamer. However, I pushed through. I became more robust and told myself I must take the rough with the smooth. The pay off of that approach is that I now find myself in a situation where my articles have been read by people all around the world. I have earned a source of income from writing, and people contact me daily to share their thoughts on my work (mainly positive) and to thank me for inspiring them.

This is not me lacking modesty, rather wanting to highlight the benefits of pushing through the barriers, getting out of your mind and fulfilling your ambitions.

Through the conversations I have had with people I have found that many too have shared the same mental block. It is through this form of dialogue I have established crucial steps to take to ensure you keep working towards fulfilling your true potential.

1 - Work on your dream every day

Whether it’s 10 minutes, 1 hour, or a full day - practise your craft and ensure you are working on it on a daily basis.

2 - Integrate yourself with successful people within your field

Networking with people who are successful, creating a relationship with them, it allows you to get an inside view of what life is like for them - and what it could be like for you. Seeing others succeed should make you want to do the same and helps you realise someone with the same dream as you has made it a reality - so why can’t you do it too? Send an email to those that inspire you, ask them for a conversation. Many requests will get shut down, but there are successful people out there always happy to help and pay it forward.

3 - Push harder when you get knocked down

No matter what your skill and ambition is, people will always want to tear it to pieces. You will get shut down, told your not very good - and it will hurt. However, each time it happens make sure you come back with something stronger. Don’t go and hide away. Keep putting yourself out there and you will see your confidence and ability will increase.

4 - Give yourself allocated self space to dream

Picturing success is not a bad thing. It is becoming lost in it that can be problematic. With that in mind give yourself some space and time each day to envision the life you want. Give it more strength by completing some positive affirmations. Once this time has passed, it is time to go put the work in that is needed.

5 - Take days off from your day job to focus on your ambition

For many taking annual leave means leaving behind their home and going for some sun, sea and sand. If you are serious about developing yourself, use your time off to focus on your craft. This way fatigue from your day job cannot be an excuse and you can put all your new free time and energy to working on what is most important to you.

6 - Get off the grid

Turn off your social media. Stop looking at accounts that you envy. Stop reading Buzzfeed and watching YouTube. Of course these tools can be useful for your progression, but they can also fool you into think you are busier than you actually are. Take a day or two away and really push hard towards your targets.

 

This realisation is still pretty new to me. However it has been an extremely important one. If you can relate to any of what I have said above then I believe putting in place the steps above (and finding what works best for you) will get you out of your mind and into the real world. Somewhere someone as talented as you certainly deserves to be.

Thanks for reading

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