Dream, Goal, Plan, Action, and Result!

_{Image by Marissa Grootes}

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Hello everyone, how are you all doing this great evening? We are now in the middle of the week and life is moving at a great pace for many of us. What were your plans at the start of the week? Are you halfway to achieving them? Have you achieved them already? Or have you barely scratched the surface?

It does not matter what your answer is, but I can definitely tell you that the week is definitely not over yet. And what was not achieved today can definitely be achieved by tomorrow. Or the day after. As long as there is life, then there is hope.

As my title rightly says, I will be talking about Dreams, Goals, Plans, actions, and Results today. In that particular order because that is the order that gives the best results. A lot of people do not know this, but they tend to either interchange them, confuse one for the other or skip one or two entirely.

Sometimes, what people will have are dreams and what they will want are results. There will be no goals or plans whatsoever as to how to connect the dreams to the results. That never works out for anyone, instead, it leads to disappointments.

First off, let me talk about each of them.

Dreams most of the time is your head. It is that future you can see yourself having, that vision that you want about a particular project you are in charge of. Dreams are also the source of passion and motivation because in your mind’s eye you see yourself in a place you would very much like to be and that would spur you to work hard towards it. And that is where Goals come in.

Goals* are literally plucking your dreams out of your head and placing them on paper. This does not make the dream a reality, but it definitely makes it realistic. As you write down your goals, you will be able to figure out how much time you need to achieve them. If it is one big goal, you can break it down into smaller sub-goals. That way, when you achieve one, it will still make an impact. So what you should do is to write down what you plan to achieve, give yourself a realistic time (do not make it too short and don’t make it too long), and make sure you are ready to go through with it till the very end.

Plans will kick in after the goals have been set. This is the strategic planning of how the goals will be achieved. It will detail the step-by-step process, everything that needs to be done, the time required, and also when it will be completed. When plans are made, it gives a roadmap and makes the job easier so that you do not have to be coming up with ideas on the spot. That can be very tasking and it is not every time that the idea might come. When you have an effective plan, your job is fifty percent done.

Action follows the plan immediately. Here you work on the plan diligently and religiously. You give it everything you have got and do not take no for an answer. In this stage, you must try to work according to the timeline you had set for yourself. If circumstances beyond your control occur and it takes longer, readjust your plans and actions to accommodate the lapse. This is the point where the conversion itself takes place, it is here it actually turns from a dream and becomes a reality.

Results comes after sufficient action has been done. This is when you can relax and enjoy the work you have put in. It is always good to see your dreams come to life right before your eyes, it is a thrilling feeling.

But you do not stay here for too long, you need to find that next dream and begin to work on making it a reality as well.

So, friends, you can see why each stage is important? One is every bit as valuable as the other, because, without one, it will be quite difficult to get the exact thing you are looking to build. And also, doing it this way makes it a lot easier for you, than doing things as you go and waiting for some sort of miracle to happen.

Also, when you have set your goals, plans and are taking action, you must always remember to be flexible with them. Do not be too rigid, and be ready to change with the times as this would foster faster growth. Do not remain stuck in one mindset, not willing to learn from others to make things easier for you and give yourself better results.
And in the same vein, when you are flexible make sure you scrutinize every option carefully. Just because something works for one person does not mean it will also work for you. You must make educated decisions all the time and make sure each one is in your best interests. If not, if you flow where the wind pushes you without proper investigation, you will most likely crash.

So, my dear friends, what are those dreams you have that keep you up at night? Have you set up a realistic goal to achieve them? What are your plans for that? Are you taking serious action?

If your answers to those questions are positive, then you are well on your way to getting your results. If not, you need to begin working on where you are lacking. Hopefully, with consistency, you will get to that place you have envisioned for yourself.

Thank you for reading, till we meet in the next post.