The rain fell heavily from nowhere as we were driving back home from a business meeting. My husband was driving and before we knew it, it grew dark, started hailing, and we couldn’t see the way. We were in the middle of nowhere and stopping in the middle of the heavy rain didn’t sound like a wise idea because the hailstorm had potential to damage the wind screen. 

Inside me there was fear that we would not get home. My Husband had to be strong for the both of us. It took us an hour to drive where it normally would’ve taken a few minutes if the road was clear. 

Many people take longer to achieve their dreams because they lack clarity. When one knows what they want, it’s also easy to set goals. However, there are reasons why many people do not set goals to achieve their dreams, including:

• They do not know what their dream is. They cannot differentiate between a wish, fantasy or a dream.
• They do not know how to set goals.
• They are not self-disciplined to follow through.
• Fear of failure. 
• Not being accountable to anyone e.g a coach 

When the rain stopped, I recall how relieved my husband and I felt as we increased speed to cover up the delay we had experienced earlier. Just like the road being clear, clear goals help increase your confidence as you develop competence and boost your motivation to pursue your dream. 

“Have goals so big, your problems pale in comparison.” – Grant Cardone

Successful people know what they want and focus on achieving it. The starting point is to determine what you want and ask yourself if you’re willing to pay the price. Driving through the hail storm was risky but we were determined to get to our destination so we did not focus on the hindrance. Some of the ways one can perceive their dream as stated in my book, ‘The dream!” are:

• Your childhood desire in your heart.
• Motivation from watching successful people 
• Motivation by a cause e.g. desire to impact lives
• God given or inspired dream 
• Dream inspired by association
• Dream inspired from an experience or overcoming a challenge.

There are questions one could also ask themselves on top of the above to seek clarity of their dream.

1. What do you really want to be in 50 years from now?
2. What do you want to have 50 years from now?
3. What do you want to do 50 years from now?
4. What are the activities that give you the greatest sense of meaning?
5. What do you think about most of the time?
6. What do you talk about most of the time?
7. What do you want?
8. What don’t you want?

To perceive your dream is to grasp the who, what, where, and how-to. Sometimes, all you will see is just a glimpse of the end of the vision; and everything unfolds as you walk the journey. 

When you start walking, you do not have to have the full picture of how you will get there. More often than not, the “how” unfolds as you walk the journey. Do not let the storms of life distract you from dreaming. As long as you are clear on the dream and determined to keep driving through the storm, eventually it will be clear and you will achieve much more than you ever thought. When you are clear on your dream, it is just the beginning of the journey. When you are determined to be successful after clarity follows action. 

“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” – Les Brown

What action are you going to take after reading this article?

• Write goals down
• Identify the obstacles in your way
• Determine the skills and knowledge you require to achieve the goals
• Determine the people whose help you will need
• Determine how much you will need to finance your dream 
• Determine how you will finance the dream 

Successful people write their goals down and follow through systematically. Writing the dreams down can be hard at first but if you start and are consistent, it will become a habit. People who write their goals down achieve much more because it helps them to visualize their goals. Those who write down their goals on how to achieve the dream and follow through systematically will gradually move from frustration to fulfilment and underachievement to achieving great dreams.

How are you making sure to make this year the best year you’ve ever had? Share your stories & thoughts with us below!