Everyone wants to become successful in life. But what is success? Ask a group of people individually, and I’m sure we will receive an assortment of answers. Does this mean we do not know what success is? Not at all; it shows that we have different views. Although we have multiple perspectives on the subject, there are five steps everyone can take to reaching their goal.

Set a course

What is it that we want? This can be a career, a state of mind, or even a material object. What are the requirements for obtaining said goals? We may want to look at the cause and effect of reaching our goals. A new career may mean less time with our family. A luxury vehicle may mean high state taxes every year. Be sure to look at the pros and cons.

Make a plan

After selecting our goal, it’s time to make a plan. How do we get to our dream world? One goal at a time. Remember to take baby-steps at first. No one runs a marathon in one step. We must have alternate plans and periods of assessments. Play the “What if” game. Obstacles may appear, and we’ll have to divert around them. What if we had to drive one hundred miles to pick up our dream car. Are we willing to go the distance? Right now, the answer may be no. But after some time has passed, we may change our minds. This is where the assessment comes in. Plan for small pauses and verify that we are still going towards our goal.

Execute the plan

This may be the hardest step for most. We can have a dream, but that dream will never become a reality if we don’t execute our plan. How can we run a marathon without taking a step? This is where we will fail. Dreams are not perfect, and we may need to try several hundreds of times to hit the mark. That is normal. Hitting every caveat in the first attempt is not normal. This is why we made alternate plans. Be patient and do not get discouraged. Everything will work out if we stick to the flexible schedule.

Assess the direction

At this stage, we pause and verify that we are still going towards our goal. We make changes accordingly and push on. When to do the assessment is up to the individual. But, I would warn against doing it after every step. Assessments are planned delays. Don’t overload our dream with delays. Once the changes are made, get back at it and stick to the plan.

Repeat

So we reach the end, now what do we do? We make another plan. We are not one-dream heroes. Instead, we are a lifetime of dreams. Some are worth chasing, while others are best kept in our imagination. For example, my favorite corvette is this year’s model. With each changing year, I’ve enjoyed seeing the changes and improvements. I would love to own one, but there is a sense, so magic lost once some dreams are no longer dreams but reality—that something to keep in mind. Once we obtain our goal, it becomes a reality. Some plans are better kept in our imaginations.

Until the next blog, live life, be happy and don’t forget to like.