Why Dreaming is the First Step to Success

Although society portrays successful people as being naturally gifted, nothing could be further from the truth. In reality, successful people have worked hard towards achieving their dreams and goals, no matter how much doubt they faced along the way. So don’t let fear get in your way – you can achieve anything you set your mind to! Read on to find out why dreaming is the first step to success.

Failure isn’t an option

What do you value most? Your job? Your friends and family? Your physical health? What would your life look like if you lost any one of these things tomorrow? Failure isn’t an option; it’s a decision. Everyone fails, and not everyone succeeds. The point of life isn’t to make it through unscathed; it’s to learn from your mistakes so you can be better tomorrow than you were yesterday. When we fail, we have two choices: to give up or get back up. So follow your dreams because failure certainly isn’t an option.

Know you can do it

Although nobody ever has—or ever will—fall in love with you just because of your confidence, it’s one quality that can get you ahead in life. It doesn’t matter if you want to achieve success as a parent, an entrepreneur or a professional athlete; believing in yourself is key to accomplishing your goals. If you don’t believe you can do something, why would anyone else?

Learn from mistakes

Mistakes are an inevitable part of life. Even if you’re following all advice, guidelines and instructions exactly, things aren’t going to go according to plan every time. That doesn’t mean your plan was bad—mistakes can help you identify holes in your strategy or ways that things need to change. Some of history’s most successful people have attributed their success, in part, to learning from mistakes.

Set smart goals

Make your goals SMART – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-Bound. It’s easier to focus your energy on achieving a plan when it’s well-defined. Begin with I will… as opposed to I would like… This helps give it a sense of urgency and keeps you accountable for achieving it. Also, having deadlines for goals makes them more attainable.

Get organized

You have a big dream, and you know it’s time to make it happen. You have all these ideas buzzing around in your head, but you have no idea where to start or how to get everything organized so that success can find you. So many people are paralyzed by their own fear of not having an action plan or agenda, but there’s really no need for that.

Learn From Others’ Mistakes

Don’t think that your journey will be a unique, solo mission. All successful people have blazed trails before you. Think about what they learned from their mistakes and what key elements helped them to be successful. What would you have done differently if you were in their shoes? Is there anyone who can mentor you on your journey? Seek out those people and use them as an example of how they made it through their own hurdles.

Learn about my dream in the Winter issue of ‘Parents in Business’ Magazine, showing amazing parents who are running a business, designed by the fantastic B81 designs.