Give your dreams wings

Many athletes from all over the world came together to compete in the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang. All of them worked hard to get to the top of their various sporting codes in order to compete. Among them was 19-year- old Larkyn Austman from Canada. In 2010 she was a flowergirl at the figure skating events at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

For those of you who are not familiar with figure skating competitions, the flowergirls are young girls that will get onto the ice after the skaters or dancers have performed and pick up all the stuffed toys that the audience throw onto the ice for the skaters. This experienced has inspired her so much, that she decided that she wants to be an Olympian figure skater too.

That was her dream. Her goal was to compete in the 2018 Winter Olympics. For eight years she worked hard, practise for hours and in February her dream became a reality. While the competition was still going on, she already stated in an interview that her next goal is to win a medal in the Winter Olympics of 2022. This young lady has grasp what it takes to give her dreams wings.

Ignorance may be one of the reasons why we do not perform at our very best. Let’s first examine the significance of understanding the difference between goals and dreams.

Very often you will hear people use these terms interchangeably, as if they were the same, however, they are quite different.

If you are simply wishing that at some point you could have your dream car, or build that entertainment area - but you don’t have a plan of action or a deadline - that dream will remain a fantasy. The main difference here is that a dream is more of a fantasy and will most likely not turn into a reality. This is one of the reasons why many people depart this life unfulfilled, because they never understood how to convert their dreams into a reality.

We are referring to those dreams and visions that inspire your heart and saturate you with joy at the very thought of them. Your vision for your life is something that burns inside you, something you cannot turn down or ignore for long. Focus on what you want to do, how you want to do it, and what kind of person you want to become in the process. Those continuing visions of what you want your life to be at its highest level of fulfillment.

Many people struggle to overcome their problems because their goals are too vague. To help you develop goals that are clearer and easier to set your sights on, think of the acronym SPORT , which stands for:

Specific:
Be precise about your goals. For example, if you want to improve your time management and be more productive, write yourself a to-do- list at the beginning of each day and tick it off as you go along. Even though things will come up in the course of the day that you didn’t plan for, add it to the list, tick it off, and give yourself credit. For some temperaments this type of time management does not come naturally, you therefore need to make a conscious decision.

Positive:
State your goals in positive terms, encouraging yourself to develop more, rather than less, of something. For example, you may want to gain more confidence (rather than become less anxious). You’re more likely to end up where you want to be if you focus on getting to your destination rather than on what you’re trying to get away from.

Observable: Try to include in your goal a description of a behavioural change that you can observe. Then, you can tell when you’ve achieved your goal because you can see a specific change. For example, if you want to lose weight take your measurements and take before and after photos to observe the progress you are making.

Realistic:
Make your goals clear, concrete, realistic and achievable. Focus on goals that are within your reach, and that depend on change from you rather than from other people. Try to visualise yourself achieving your goals. Realistic goals help you to stay motivated and focused. Ensuring your goals are realistic doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t dream big.

Dream big, but realize that big dreams are made up of smaller realistic steps that need to be achieved first in order to reach your end point. For example, you can dream of becoming a successful engineer one day. In order for that to turn into a reality you need to do maths and science homework diligently everyday so that your marks are good enough to get into the course.

Time:
Set a timeframe to keep you focused and efficient in your pursuit of a goal. For example, if you’ve been avoiding something for a while, decide when you plan to tackle it. For example, if you and your colleagues come up with a good business idea, either start immediately or set a time and a date. If you and your family are talking about how nice it would be to go a theme park – set a time and a date and follow through on it.

Most children don’t take their parents seriously anymore, because they keep making empty promises that never come to fruition. Less talking – more doing!

For more information on how to set goals and fulfill your dreams, I recommend you order my book If you want to you can – If you want to you can