7 Steps To Turning Imaginary Dreams Into Reachable Goals

Recently, one of my M3 Power Community members reached out to me and said: “I dream a lot, but I can’t seem to make it happen for real.” Can you relate? I know that I can, and for sure remember a time in my life when this was happening. You see, we all dream, but we don’t all turn dream into reality.

From experience, both personal and working with clients, these are seven of the most common reasons why a dream remains a dream: the dream is fuzzy; the dream clashes with an existing reality; the dream is private; the dream is overwhelming; the dream is intangible; the dream is “just” a dream; the dream is the end.

If these are not being tackled, then your dreams will remain dreams. The same way that we have 2 minds (an unconscious one and a conscious one), it is good to also realise that a dream resides in dream-land, a goal in reality-land, and it takes steps to shift it from one land to the other.

These 7 steps will help you turn your dreams into reachable goals. I know that you might have read some of these before, but there is a big difference in reading something and actually following through. So, I recommend you follow through on these steps right now, as you are reading along, no time like the present, so get a notebook and a pen, and let’s do this.

The dream is fuzzy…
Step #1 => Scribe it. Your dream needs to be clear. Close your eyes for a few minutes and dream the dream: what do you see, hear, touch, smell, taste, and feel? This is your dream. Write it down, we do not want a 1-sentence goal here, we need the full dream, and this can take a few pages. You want to include as many details as possible.

The dream clashes with an existing reality…
Step #2 => Align it. Your dream needs to be congruent with your other goals and aligned with your reality; it is a must. So, check that it is by asking yourself “When this happens, will it have a positive impact on…?”. If you are getting a no, and yet, really want that dream, then, you need to amend your reality, so that your dream can fit in.

The dream is private…
Step #3 => Launch it. Your dream needs to be revealed; as long as you keep it in your head, it is abstract. So, share it out loud. I suggest your share it now to 5 people (or come on, go for it, and share it in the below Comments section!). This will not only make it more real, but it will also raise your accountability.

The dream is overwhelming…
Step #4 => Chunk it. Your dream needs to be chunked down; take the BIG dream, chunk it down into manageable chunks by identifying the chunks; each of these is a project on its own. Then, you build your plan. For each project, extract the milestones. And, for each milestone, extract the actions. BIG Dream => Project(s) => Milestone(s) => Manageable Actions.

The dream is intangible…
Step #5 => Set it. Your dream needs to be framed. If I say “One day, I’ll complete a marathon.”, this is completely intangible, and it does sound like a dream, right? Now, how about I say “On Monday 28th of October, 2013, I will take part in the Dublin Marathon, and complete it.” Can you hear how much more tangible it is now?

The dream is “just” a dream…
Step #6 => Trust it. Your dream needs to be believable. You need to believe in it. You must not only trust that it is possible for it to happen, but also trust that it will happen for it to actually happen. You must ensure that your beliefs are entirely supporting your dream, and upon identifying the beliefs that are not supporting it, ditch these.

When going for your dream, don’t wait to reach it to be dreamy; enjoy and savour every single project, milestone and action! Click to tweet!

The dream is the end…
Step #7 => Enjoy it. Your dream needs to be enjoyable along the way. When going for your dream, don’t wait to reach it to be dreamy; enjoy and savour every single project, milestone and action! I recommend you not only track and monitor progress along the way on a regular basis, but also celebrate every milestone.

Henry David Thoreau said: “If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost. There is where they should be. Now put foundations under them.” These 7 steps are your foundations that will help you turn your dreams into reality, and here is an easy way for you to remember them: they spell as C.A.S.T.L.E.S.: Chunk, Align, Scribe, Trust, Launch, Enjoy, Set.

Each of these steps is a brick to your castle, built by reaching your goals, one after the other. Your goals are giving you a timeline to success, a path to your vision. Make it happen, one goal at a time.

So, go build your C.A.S.T.L.E.S! What dream will you turn into reality from today onwards?

Please leave a comment and join the below conversation!

Until next time

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To your Mountain Moving Mindset,
Frederique

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Comments received via Twitter:

@IrishSmiley Great, the dreamers of a dream are rarely the builders of it as that requires different qualities. CASTLE can be the bridge

— Buyers Broker Int. (@BuyersBrokerLtd) May 2, 2013

@IrishSmiley Love your log! Now #C.A.S.T.L.E.S are no longer in the air!

— Angie NagmElDin (@UK_ATCoaching) April 30, 2013

https://twitter.com/korikatra/status/328141445888364544

@IrishSmiley I thought it was excellent and I want to read it through thoroughly to get the best benefit from it x

— Karen Leech Designer (@kleechdesigns) May 2, 2013

@IrishSmiley I can definitely relate to being a dreamer 🙂 Some great tips in there and loving num 7 – making sure to enjoy it!

— Carma O'Connor Dunne (@RestoreYBalance) April 26, 2013

@IrishSmiley hi Frederique, the article is very interesting. I'm currently living my dream with major changes. Now in the UK!

— ProUnison Limited (@CRM_Ireland) May 4, 2013

#M3Power @IrishSmiley ~ I am grateful for your help, as well as your blogs. I appreciate your time & efforts. Have a Great Week 🙂

— Andrew Bell (@AndrewBell_ROI) April 28, 2013

Powerful & effective! >>> @IrishSmiley @DTNEtiquette thanks for the blog RT Deborah; so how about the C.A.S.T.L.E.S. strategy? 🙂

— Deborah Thomas (@DTNEtiquette) April 28, 2013

@IrishSmiley Love it – always like an acronym 🙂 It's great – I often write out my dreams in the middle of the night – only the good ones

— Sian Phillips (@_Sians) May 2, 2013

@IrishSmiley "Your goals are giving you a timeline to success, a path to your vision". Powerful words Ms. Murphy; invaluable info 🙂

— Andrew Bell (@AndrewBell_ROI) May 2, 2013

@IrishSmiley you are very welcome – I loved it and your blog made great reading 🙂

— Vicky (@mumlovestoswim) May 1, 2013

@IrishSmiley Amazing x

— Debbie P Macpherson (@xanadu81uk) April 30, 2013

@IrishSmiley Makes sense, especially the Launch bit (people tend to wait forever, been there, done that)

— Barry van Someren (@bvansomeren) April 27, 2013

@IrishSmiley @jkrjrpathfinder very helpful

— John Reeves (@now_begin) May 2, 2013

@IrishSmiley: In form me about that strategy. Thank you for writing. I like where you are coming from. Nancy in America

— Nancy Kilgore, MS (@SIBLINGSCANHURT) May 1, 2013

7 Steps To Turning Imaginary Dreams Into Reachable Goals | Frederique Murphy | http://t.co/UoysbJAKwf WOW #fresh

— Billy Rogers (@Whatsizebilly) April 26, 2013

@IrishSmiley makes a lot of sense. something we all know bt somehow consciously not doing!its good when broken down like tt 2 clearly see it

— Vagabond Girl (@vagabondgurl) April 30, 2013

https://twitter.com/HillsLaviniere/status/329611861114908672

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So, go build your C.A.S.T.L.E.S! What dream will you turn into reality from today onwards?

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From beginning to end, I was gaining the knowledge she was sharing with us. Joanna Skóra

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By day 3 of the event, I was utterly exhausted and finding it hard to fully believe that everything was possible. Then Frederique came on stage, and it was like having sunshine pouring off the... Judith Townshend

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