What’s the difference between dreams and goals? Is it something that you even think about?
Today I have spent a lot of my time thinking, thinking about what’s next. What am I going to do over the next six months, year and five years to get to where I want to go. OK, maybe not five years, but I’ve definitely thought about what that might look like in the best case scenario.
And that’s the difference.
A dream is something we want to happen, that we aspire to, however it’s in our mind. May be you’re dreaming about diving off a boat into a bright blue sea.
A goal on the other hand is going one step further and putting a plan in place to get to where you want to be. So instead of dreaming about that idyllic beach… turn it into a goal. Start the research and look at the costs. Whilst it might not be this years holiday, could you make it a reality in two or three years?
This got me thinking a little more. How else do dreams and goals vary? I came up with the list below:
Action
To turn something from a dream into a goal, you need to be acting on it. It’s no good just thinking about what you want, it’s not going to appear. To turn your dreams into reality you must take action, get out there and get what you want.
Deadlines
A deadline can feel stressful, but really deadlines are a great tool for progress. Setting yourself small and achievable deadlines pushes you to achieve and move forward. Whether it’s a case of writing the first 100 words of your book, or losing a first pound in your weight loss journey. Smaller deadlines are far more manageable than setting big broad deadlines that leave you flailing.
Results
Dreams don’t have to have a result at the end of them, we can dream about sitting on a white sandy beach or running a marathon, but it doesn’t mean that we are going to do either in reality. A goal on the other hand is there to help us achieve something tangible, whether that’s producing a product or achieving a result, like a new qualification, at the end of it.
It’s not easy
If it was going to be easy we wouldn’t be dreaming about it, we’d already have done it, or nearly be there! Achieving our dreams takes hard work, tears, patience, hysteria, some more tears and some more patience. Don’t stop when it gets tough, take a break, go for a walk, breathe and then get back to it.
It’s real
The biggest one for me. You can keep dreaming, you can think about all the things you’d do if you had more time, had more money, or worked for yourself. Or, you can stop dreaming, get your pen and paper out and start plotting, start turning your dreams into goals and start working towards making them a reality.
When I was little my dream used to be able to go out for a meal in a restaurant something we never did, one of my recent dreams was to be featured in a certain magazine it took 3 years but I did it, my dream right now is to live abroad by the sea and even though it may not be possible in the immediate future I’m going to ensure I do all I can to make it happen in the years to come
I’d love to know what you think, and whether you’d add any more differences to the list?