I’m a big believer in dreams.  I’m not talking about the kind you enjoy when you are asleep.  I’m talking about dreams about what you want your future to be.

I didn’t use to think much about my future.  I just got up, went to work, went home, went to bed, got up, and did it all over and over and over again.  I had a good life, but I was on autopilot.  Thank God I changed all of that.  I now live my life on purpose.

On purpose means that you are living toward a future vision – a dream about what you’d like your life to be in the future.

How to make these dreams come true?  Here are my ideas:

1) Train your brain to think positively about the future, and at the same time, being present and enjoying the current moment.  Don’t dwell on the past.

2) Write down a day in your “perfect life” six years from now.  Write it in great detail, describing where you are, who you are with, what you are doing, how you are feeling, where are you living, what is your house like, what do you see, smell, hear and feel.  Be very, very specific.

3) Pick a BHAG goal for one area in your life.  BHAG, if you don’t already know, means “Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal.”  Pick a goal that seems almost impossible.  I’ve done this several times, and I’ve been able to do things I NEVER thought I would.  Some have been:

  • Run a marathon
  • Write and publish a book
  • Start a new business
  • Give a formal presentation on stage
  • Record a podcast
  • Double your reading speed

4) Get an accountability partner, tell him/her what your BHAG goal is, and share on a weekly basis how you are progressing toward that goal.

With personal discipline, focus, and accountability, you will be AMAZED at how much you can accomplish.  Once you accomplish your first BHAG goal, pick another one, possibly in a different area of your life (spiritual, physical, relationships, emotional, intellectual, professional, financial, etc.), and do the work to get it done.  Create a habit of continuously setting bigger and bigger goals, for your lifetime, and watch your life unfold in amazing ways.

Setting your dreams, your “future vision,” is the first step to meaningful personal growth.  The rest lies in execution.  Go do it, and you’ll be proud of the new you!