Liv Walde
Are you a dreamer?
Do you remember the dreams you had when you were little?
Were you going to be an astronaut? A ballerina? Did you dream about changing the world?
People who continue to follow their dreams (even if those dreams change and evolve as they grow up) tend to be extraordinarily motivated and driven.
Their capacity to imagine endless possibilities and their confidence in themselves spurs them onwards.
Either way, believing in your dreams means that you’re already halfway to getting there
Plus, life is short and you don’t want to end up regretting the opportunities you could have chased when it’s too late.
Whether you’re already a big dreamer or want to push yourself further in achieving those fantasies, here are 10 habits of people who let their dreams guide them:
1) They envision the future
To follow your dreams, you obviously have some form of idea of what those dreams look like.
Big dreamers have that vision set.
Whether it’s leading a Fortune 500 company, running their own bakery, moving to Costa Rica and opening a juice bar, or having a big and happy family, dreamers spend a good amount of time visualizing their future.
They return to it regularly and continually remind themselves that if they can imagine it, it’s possible.
When faced with setbacks (which no doubt will happen), dreamers will close their eyes and imagine the dream in actuality.
They’ll see themselves sitting at a desk at the top of that skyscraper or whipping up strawberry smoothies in a tropical climate.
2) They’re extremely driven
Achieving dreams takes an inherent drive to get to where you want to be.
This means persevering and constantly whittling away at tasks that will help you ferry your dream through to completion.
Although similar, being driven is largely a better trait to have than to be motivated.
You can find sudden motivation to go to the gym after Christmas for all of about three days, then slowly lose interest or focus on your goals.
Motivation can be exhilarating and inspiring, but it can also be temporary.
On the other hand, being driven is a longer, slower process. It’s waking up every day with that dream in mind and working tirelessly to get there.
It becomes an integral part of your purpose and routine (a bit like brushing your teeth), and is a force to be reckoned with.
Although don’t be mistaken – dreams have both motivation and drive.
3) And set clear goals to get there
As delightful as it would be to wake up tomorrow and have achieved all your dreams, it’s unfortunately unlikely to happen (unless you’re actually asleep and physically dreaming).
This is where goal-setting comes in.
People who chase their dreams know that to get to where they want to be, they need a clear action plan.
This means setting clear and specific goals to help them identify what it is that they want to achieve, and how they’ll get there.
And no, this doesn’t just mean writing ‘dream – to be President’ down on a piece of paper and hoping for the best. Manifesting won’t help here.
Proper goal setting means setting achievable milestones and measuring progress.
It also means holding yourself accountable to your goals and adapting your plan if things don’t work out in the way that you want them to.
Goal-setting also helps to structure time management for increased productivity.
If you’re looking to set some goals to get to your dreams, consider implementing the following:
- Set clear goals and objectives
- Use realistic and achievable milestones
- Set deadlines and keep yourself accountable
- Organize your milestones according to priority
- Adapt certain goals and strategies when things don’t go according to plan
- Set time aside each day to work even a little towards getting you closer to achieving your dreams
4) They don’t let rejection kill their dreams
To name a few of life’s innovators and creators and household names who overcame rejection:
- Stephen King, whose first novel Carrie received 30 rejections before finally being published. He’s now worth a hefty $500 mil.
- Thomas Edison who is famously said to have failed over 10,000 times before succeeding at inventing a working light bulb. How many lightbulbs do you have in your house?
- Oprah Winfrey, who was fired from her first position as a reporter as she was “unfit for television and news”. Look where she is today.
Quitters don’t win.
Failure and rejection can obviously lead to a great deal of loss of motivation and misery.
But people who truly believe in themselves and their dreams push through this and continue to persevere.
They don’t take rejection personally, but instead take on constructive feedback when needed and continue to chase their dreams.
5) They have patience
As we already know, dreams don’t come into fruition overnight.
People who chase their dreams successfully continue to chip away at their goals and milestones daily.
They know that big dreams take time to generate.
They also know that a good deal of rejection and failure will come their way, and they don’t let the above slow them down.
Instead, they approach developing their ideals in a patient and satisfied manner.
Each completed milestone means being one step closer to the end-goal.
Whilst the journey might be difficult, avid dream chasers also enjoy the process and don’t let themselves get overwhelmed or frustrated by the time it takes to build up their creations.
After all, the journey is part of the dream.
6) They create their own pathways and don’t follow the rules
Sometimes, your dream job doesn’t already exist.
That’s where entrepreneurs and innovators come in.
People who chase their dreams know that those dreams might not sit within an industry that is already established.
Their dream might well be something that no one has heard nor thought about.
The solution?
Create your own pathways and design your own destiny.
Doing so often means branching outside societal norms and bending the rules.
Not in a speed ticket kind of way, but just forging your own path and not following the herd.
Embrace being a black sheep and ignore the naysayers who doubt you.
7) They never stop learning
Whilst dreamers might have a clear and structured view of where they want to be and what they’re trying to achieve, they know that continuing to expand their minds will help them on that path to success.
That means reading, researching, listening to podcasts, and taking on feedback wherever possible.
You might have a dream, but you still need the knowledge and strategies to help you get there.
8) They take every opportunity to network
Listen, your dreams might be your own, but often you need other people to help you get there.
Dream chasers know this.
They use every opportunity to build up a strong network of successful yet varied individuals who can help them on their path to success.
This might not mean sharing every detail of their dream, because you never know who might decide that your idea sounds very promising and steal it from itself.
However, being surrounded by motivational and successful individuals helps to gain useful insight and feedback and opens many doors that would otherwise not be available to you.
9) And they’re not afraid to ask for what they want
Whilst dreamers aren’t running into networking begging for opportunities, they’re not afraid of asking for what they want or need.
Many people shirk from the thought of asking for help or sending over their projects for feedback.
They feel ashamed, embarrassed, or guilty for using up other people’s time.
People who chase their dreams put this guilt aside.
They put their passion and drive to achieve their dreams first and know that asking for help is a necessity when it comes to achieving those goals.
This might mean taking a deep dive and reaching out to someone they don’t know so well for advice or for an opportunity. (Think awkward Linkedin message or cold call).
This again might lead to rejection, but it’s all part of the process.
10) They take time out to look after themselves
Chasing your dreams using all of the above habits can be taxing.
Especially if you’ve got that vision in your mind everyday and are chipping away whenever possible.
Dream chasers still take holidays and time to relax.
They know that their avid creativity and motivation needs time to recharge, and therefore carve out time to work on other aspects of their health and wellbeing so that they can keep themselves working at their prime.
Self-care practices like 20 minutes of daily exercise per day (which can actually improve your focus), meditating (which can help you to visualize and expand upon your dreams and goals), and other hobbies allow dreamers to relax and recharge.
Dare to dream then do it!
Whatever your dream, you deserve the opportunity to chase it.
With the right motivation, a comprehensive plan, and plenty of people to support you, you can achieve whatever you want to.
You don’t need to wait for the perfect time to get started on these habits, nor do you need to wait for someone else’s permission.
You’re more than ready to get started.
Incorporate these habits into your lifestyle and apply yourself every day, and you’ll be well on your way to turning your dreams into your reality.
