People have goals: ones that want to be realized, but often not achieved. To help you reach your dreams, I compiled some tips that have helped me. They help you visualize where you want your future to be and how to get there.

Begin by getting a pencil and pad of paper out and start writing. List each one of your goals you would like to achieve. Why?

It will force you to decide on what you want and elaborate in detail.

Have you ever found yourself listing off everything you have ever wanted to do? I know I have. But frequently those dreams don’t manifest into realities. Why? Often it’s because they can’t be visualized. When you write your goals down, it forces you to decide on what you want. It also makes you elaborate in detail as to how you want to achieve it.

Putting your goals in writing makes them measurable and creates a way to hold yourself accountable.

Having a list allows you to measure your progress. It shows you are moving toward something you are trying to obtain and prepares you for the next step you need to accomplish. If you don’t accomplish those goals, it holds you accountable. There is no other person or thing you can place the blame on for not achieving your goals.

If you write your goals down and place them in a visible spot, you’ll be more motivated to take action to achieve them.

After you write down your goals, make sure you place them in a spot where you are sure to see them multiple times throughout the day. Whether that is a list in your cubicle at work, on your refrigerator door, or as the background on your phone, have them somewhere you can see them and remind yourself you need to work toward them in everything you do. Seeing them will only motivate you to achieve them.

Always put deadlines on your goals. A goal without a deadline is just an idea. This deadline will increase your motivation and help you to focus.

“A dream is just a dream. A goal is a dream with a plan and a deadline.” – Harvey MacKay

Create a dream with a plan and deadline to form a goal. Knowing there is a deadline quickly approaching will only help you maintain your focus on completing that goal. If you don’t meet your deadline, you have to hold yourself accountable. See number two.

In the future, you’ll be able to look back and celebrate how far you’ve come and the progress you’ve made, understanding you did not lower your goals to the level of your abilities. Instead, you raised your abilities to the height of your goals.

Having lists can often show you how far you have come from the past to the present. Creating a new list at the end of another can help you maintain a dream-reaching future and remind you just how much you have accomplished in a short period of time.