Everyone in the world has dreams of some sort, but very few turn these dreams into successes. This isn’t because it’s impossible to make your dreams a reality, but rather, they simply just don’t know how to use their dreams for their benefit.

Although there is no guarantee that you can turn your dreams into successes, you can follow these steps to put you in the right direction to using your dreams to promote your success.

1. Make Your Dreams Concrete

The first step to making your dreams part of your success is to make them more concrete. Often when you have dreams, they are in very vague terms as in “I want to be rich.” Start by transforming a dream such as this one from something basic to something specific, such as “I want to be rich by starting my own business.” Once your dreams start to become a bit more solid, you’ll be surprised by how attainable they may seem. This will also help your mind begin thinking of the dreams on a more critical level.

2. Turn These Concrete Dreams Into Steps

Once you have a more concrete dream in front of you, consider breaking the dream into smaller steps (a bit like breaking down a goal). When the dream is broken down, it will likely seem more achievable than it did before, and by this point, it is well on its way to becoming an attainable goal which will eventually lead to success.

This will also help your mind feel a sense of accomplishment when you achieve a small part of one of your bigger dreams. And this small taste of accomplishment will keep you on your path to success.

3. Make a Dream Board

Another way to make your dreams seem more realistic is by making a physical representation of them, such as in a dream board. This can be something physical, like a cork board, or even something digital like a Pinterest board. But either way, taking the time to make your dreams into something tangible will bring your dreams to the front of your mind and get your brain flowing on all the ways to make it the reality. Not only that, but you’ll also have a representation of your dreams to look back on to keep your dreams present on a daily basis.

4. Don’t Stop Visualizing

And the most important part of making your dreams work towards your success is to not stop dreaming. When you dream about doing something or becoming someone, you are effectively visualizing yourself in that role. Research carried out by the universities of Cambridge and Oxford actually found that those who visualize their future selves on a regular basis are more likely to achieve success than those who don’t. So, don’t be afraid to dream, and even spend a portion of your day engaging in it, either via meditation, or some quiet time to yourself. You’ll likely find that this visualization time keeps you happy, and on the path to making your dreams a success.

Although dreams are generally precursors to goals, this doesn’t mean they can’t ultimately lead to success. After all, most goals start as dreams. If you truly want your dreams to begin to work towards your success, start making them more concrete, breaking them down, and creating a physical representation of them.

You’ll likely be surprised at how much easier it is to go towards these dreams now that you have a clearer picture of what they are. And above all, the best way to make your dreams part of your success is by continuing to dream!

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2021 issue of CHOICES Magazine