Does the word “practical” sound weird to you when talking about dreams? Like realizing your dreams shouldn’t be practical? I sometimes think my dreams have to be so lofty and a little bit wild in order to be dreams. Like if they seem attainable in some practical step-by-step sort of way, they’re not “dreamy” enough.

Well, I’m here to tell you. Yes, God can make any dream come true…even the craziest, way-beyond-me-est, most impractical dreams. But a lot of times, [clickToTweet tweet=”There are down-to-earth steps to fulfill our dreams-that doesn’t make them less #Godsized. @EliseDalyParker” quote=”there are some very down-to-earth steps we can take to fulfill our dreams. And that doesn’t make them any less God-sized. “]

God plants dreams in our hearts, often in the way He’s made us from the beginning, even before we were knit together in our mother’s womb. And He puts us in places, connects us to people, and opens God-sized doors and windows of opportunity that develop our dreams. He is an amazing orchestrator when it comes to our dreams.

But we are absolutely positively invited to participate! God is a God of order and intention. Just look at Genesis to see how He step-by-step created the world. He had a plan for each day. He has made us in His image.

And this brings me to the first of 5 Practical Secrets to Realizing Your God-Sized Dream…

1.Define Your Dream – No vague, lofty ideas invited here. Who are you? What do you want? What is your dream? Really…Do you want to write and publish a book? What is the book about? Do you know about the process of writing and publishing? Know your options? Or, do you dream of running a successful coaching business (yes!)? How are you qualified? Who will you serve? What are you uniquely gifted to offer people as a coach?

Coaching Challenge – Don’t leave your dream hanging “out there.” Define it concretely!

2. Set SMART Goals – Okay, so now that you’ve defined your dream, how will you move toward the fulfillment of your dream? You’ve got to set goals, so you can move forward and track your progress, which is very motivating. SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely.

Coaching Challenge – [clickToTweet tweet=”Set 5 SMART goals-#Specific #Measurable #Achievable #Realistic #Timely 2 help achieve your dream. @EliseDalyParker ” quote=”Set five SMART goals that will help you achieve your dreams. “]

3. Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail – You know, I’m a creative, dreamer type from way back. I love to “go with the flow.” And while that can make me at times easygoing, chill, whatever will be will be…it can also make me unproductive. Because if I don’t have a plan to reach my dreams, well how am I going to get there? One day will flow into the other. One minute on the Internet will flow into hours. And at the end of the day, week, month, year, I will have done little without a plan.

Coaching Challenge – What is your plan for achieving your goal? How many hours will you give your dream each week? Put this on your calendar…and if you’re not using a calendar, start now.

4. Focus on Your Dream Tasks – Oh there are so many things vying for our attention, turning our thoughts right and left, bunny trails that take us far off our road of intention. What will you do to remain focused despite all the distraction and noise in the world? Will you turn off the alerts on your computer that literally pump adrenaline through your system begging you to respond? Can you silence your phone and all the alarms for a designated period of time…maybe even move it to another room so you can concentrate?

Coaching Challenge – What tempts you away from focusing on your dream? Commit to removing the distractions you’ve identified.

5. Celebrate Your Progress – I used to be a certified birth instructor. After our class was complete and babies were born, we always had a reunion. My new-mom students often expressed their frustration about “not getting ANYTHING done.” I suggested, instead of writing a To Do list, they could write a Got Done list. I challenge you to do the same. Instead of lamenting about what you haven’t done, learn to appreciate your progress.

Coaching Challenge – When you take a step toward your dream, write it down. Track your progress and you’ll quickly see that each step adds up.

No matter how lofty your dream is, no matter how far out of reach fulfillment may seem, there is no substitute for hard work, determination, and perseverance. Do the next thing, and the next, and then the next and before you know it, you will have a dream come true.

Put these 5 Secrets into practice and share your Got Done list with me. I’d love to celebrate your progress!

Shared by Elise Daly Parker