Life

7 Habits of People Who Follow Their Dreams

Published

9 years ago

Jun 22, 2016

Once upon a time, I had a dream. It was a dream to write and be read by people around the world, like many of my favorite bloggers and authors. Yet, I could never get started on this project. I thought it was something that I would do some day later.

I could become a writer after a lifetime of working and after I retired, I thought to myself. There was much more time to write when I had more time, more finances and more creativity. It would take me awhile to improve my writing. I would have to take some writing classes.

These were some of the many thoughts that floated around my mind as I contemplated a life of writing. Then, one day, I decided to make the plunge and started writing. I gave myself permission to start writing that day. I told myself that I would work on an ebook and if I could write and complete one, then I would show myself that yes, I could write and yes, I could write now.

When I completed that ebook, I realized, holy Stephen King, I am a writer! I had the ability, the desire and now the completed work to show myself that I could indeed work on my writing today.

Do you have a dream that’s been floating around in your heart? Here are 7 habits of people who follow their dreams:

1. Give yourself permission

You don’t have to wait for permission. You don’t need it from someone else. You don’t have to fear if you’re not an authority, expert or have experience in your dream. You will learn as you need to and be guided on the journey. You have to be willing to realize that you are worthy when it comes to following your dream and that you deserve to start today. You are the only person whose permission you need to get started.

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

2. See fears and move past them

When you see a dream, you likely will see the uncertainties and doubts that come along with the dream. Instead of allowing your dreams to paralyze you, use your fears as a starting point. The biggest fear than the fear of pursuing your dreams should be the fear of regret and not starting. Use your fears to inspire and move you forward. Fear means you’re onto something, big, exciting and challenging. You conquer your fears by taking each one on at a time. Each fear you move past prepares you to face the next one.

3. Take small steps daily

The big dreams you have don’t happen overnight. You can’t materialize a dream without preparation work or patience. The people who achieve their dreams work on it consistently. You don’t have to do everything in a day either. Work on your dream at your own pace but make progress on it daily. Think of one thing today you can do to further your dream. You may not start today but you can do something small today to progress your dream.

4. Ignore society’s chatter

It’s easy to lose your dream to “reality” or “practicality”. All your dream-crushers out there, friends and family, will use code words to discourage you from your dream. They will insist you follow society’s dream: college, advanced degree, stable job, family and home in the suburbs. That’s the tried and true path for success, they’ll tell you. If it’s not a path that will make you happy and that’s not your dream, you have to ignore the naysayers. Instead, listen to yourself. Your intuition will be your guide to fulfillment and happiness.

5. Have a vision of the future

Seeing your dream come to fruition is necessary when you pursue a dream. Visualization is key to starting. You have to be able to imagine your dream coming alive so you can get motivated to start on it. You have to believe that it’s possible for you to achieve your dreams. You have to believe in what’s possible in the future although you get there by working on it each day. What they say is true: seeing is believing. Once you see something in your mind’s eye, you start believing you can make it happen.

6. Work through obstacles

You don’t allow one failure to stop you. You’re not sitting around and making excuses or looking for ways to not keep going. Just the opposite. You allow the obstacles to help you get more creative and find solutions. You let failure inspire you and guide you to a better way to do something. You see obstacles as challenges to be overcome, not roadblocks that will stop you from going forward. You welcome each obstacle knowing that moving past each one will get you closer to your dreams.

“I don’t dream at night, I dream all day; I dream for a living.” – Steven Spielberg

7. Patience

While you’re working on your dream and moving past the obstacles in the way, you also know that dreams don’t materialize overnight. You are willing to put in the work but you’re also willing to be persistent. You’re willing to wait. You’re willing to give your dreams time. You are willing to be patient in the face of failures, adversity, and obstacles. You’re willing to change course or alter the dream if something isn’t working. You don’t expect overnight results or instant gratification.

Are you going after your dreams? What are your most successful habits? Please comment below!

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Vishnu Virtues

Vishnu Virtues is the writer behind the popular personal growth and spirituality blog for people starting over in life. You can find his weekly blog posts at www.vishnusvirtues.com and his Amazon books on love and relationships here.

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Life

How Learning the Skill of Hope Can Change Everything

Hope isn’t wishful thinking. It’s a state of being and a skill that has profound evidence of helping people achieve success in life

Published

2 weeks ago

Jan 6, 2025

Daniel Bell

Image Credit: Midjourney

Hope isn’t wishful thinking. It’s a state of being and a skill that has profound evidence of helping people achieve success in life.

Wishful thinking, on the other hand, is like having dreams in the sky without a ladder to climb, having a destination without a map, or trying to operate a jet-engine airplane without instructions. It sounds nice but is impossible to realize. You don’t have what you need to make it happen!

What Real Hope Is

Real hope is actionable, practical, and realistic. Better yet, it’s feasible and can be learned.

One popular approach is Hope Theory. This concept is used by colleges to study how hope impacts students’ academic performance. Researchers found that students with high levels of hope achieve better grades and are more likely to graduate compared to those with less hope.

Hope can be broken down into two components:

Pathways – The “how to” of hope. This is where people think of and establish plans for achieving their goals.
Agency – The “I can” of hope. This is the belief that the person can accomplish their goals.

Does Hope Really Work?

According to Webster’s Dictionary, hope as a noun is defined as: “desire accompanied by expectation of or belief in fulfillment.”

As humans, we are wired to crave fulfillment. We have the ability to envision it and, through hope, make it a reality.

My Experience with Hope

For 13 years, I was a hopeless human. During my time working at a luxury hotel as a front desk agent earning $11.42 per hour, I felt the sting of hopelessness the most.

The regret of feeling my time was being stolen from me lingered every time I clocked in. Eventually, I decided to do something about it.

I gave myself permission to hope for something better. I began establishing pathways to success and regained agency by learning from self-help books and seeking mentorship.

Because I took action toward something I desired, I now feel more hope and joy than I ever felt hopelessness. Hope changed me.

Hope Actually Improves Your Life

Wishful thinking doesn’t work, and false hope is equally ineffective. Real hope, however, is directly tied to success in all areas of life.

Studies show that hopeful people tend to:

Demonstrate better problem-solving skills
Cultivate healthier relationships
Maintain stronger motivation to achieve goals
Exhibit better work ethic
Have a positive outlook on life

These benefits can impact work life, family life, habit-building, mental health, physical health, and spiritual practice. Imagine how much better your life could be by applying real hope to all these areas.

How to Develop the Skill to Hope

As acclaimed French writer Jean Giono wrote in The Man Who Planted Trees:
“There are also times in life when a person has to rush off in pursuit of hopefulness.”

If you are at one of those times, here are ways to develop the skill to hope:

1. Dream Again

To cultivate hope, you need to believe in its possibility. Start by:

Reflecting on what you’re passionate about, your values, and what you want to achieve.
Writing your dreams down, sharing them with someone encouraging, or saying them out loud.
Creating a vision board to make your dreams feel more tangible.

Dreams are the foundation of hope—they give you something meaningful to aspire toward.

2. Create an Environment of Hope

Set Goals: Write down your goals and create a plan to achieve them.
Visualize Success: Use inspirational quotes, photos, or tools like dumbbells or canvases to remind yourself of your goals.
Build a Resource Library: Collect books, eBooks, or audiobooks about hope and success to inspire you.

An environment that fosters hope will keep you motivated, resilient, and focused.

3. Face the Challenges

Don’t avoid challenges—overcoming them builds confidence. Participating in challenging activities, like strategic games, can enhance your problem-solving skills and reinforce hope.

4. Commit to Wisdom

Seek wisdom from those who have achieved what you aspire to. Whether through books, blogs, or social media platforms, learn from their journeys. Wisdom provides the foundation for real, actionable hope.

5. Take Note of Small Wins

Reflecting on past victories can fuel your hope for the future. Ask yourself:

What challenges have I already overcome?
How did I feel when I succeeded?

By remembering those feelings of happiness, relief, or satisfaction, your brain will naturally adopt a more hopeful mindset.

Conclusion

Hope is more than wishful thinking—it’s a powerful skill that can transform your life. By dreaming again, creating a hopeful environment, facing challenges, seeking wisdom, and celebrating small wins, you can develop the real hope necessary for success in all aspects of life.

Let hope guide you toward a brighter, more fulfilling future.

Life

The 5 Stages of a Quarter-Life Crisis & What You Can Do

A quarter-life crisis isn’t a sign you’ve lost your way; it’s a sign you’re fighting for a life that’s truly yours.

Published

3 weeks ago

Dec 27, 2024

CT Dool

Image Credit: Midjourney

The quarter-life crisis is a well-defined set of stages—Trapped, Checking Out, Separation, Exploration, Rebuilding—one goes through in breaking free from feelings of meaninglessness, lack of fulfillment, and misalignment with purpose. I detail the stages and interweave my story below. (more…)

Life

Here’s The Thing About Learning, Unlearning, and Relearning

Stop hoarding and start sharing your knowledge and wealth for the benefit of humankind

Published

2 months ago

Nov 21, 2024

M.S. Rao

Image Credit: Midjourney

Few people have the habit of hoarding their wealth without spending. However, it limits their motivation as they tend to get into their comfort zones. When people start spending money, then there will be depletion in their coffers. (more…)