I know people with big dreams. Each and every single one of those dreams involves making a significant change in the way these people are currently living their lives.

Have you ever asked yourself why so many people spend all that time dreaming, but so few actually manage to live the life of their dreams?

The way I see it, the world is split into two camps: the world of people who actually get things done and the world of people with wishful thinking. So, what really makes the difference?

The answer to that question is twofold… It depends on peoples’ level of commitment to their goals and the way they go about achieving them.

Your Level Of Commitment

Big, ambitious goals demand a lot of energy, passion, commitment, determination, and persistence.

Why do you think Michelangelo took four years out of his life to carve the famous statue of David? Why do you think NASA keeps sending astronauts into space? Why is the tallest building in 2020, the planned Al Burj on Dubai’s waterfront, going to be over 1,000 meters high?

All these big projects were and will be achieved because they have one very important thing in common. The people behind them cared enough about them to make them happen. Tackling the question of what the source of true commitment is, then, becomes quite simple.

Commitment always starts with identifying a dream that is truly worth having, one that makes you stay up at night.

What do you really care for?

What is it that you really want, from the bottom of your heart?

How much does your dream mean to you?

Does it mean enough to you to commit yourself to it?

It’s something you need to become clear about before you embark upon achieving your goal. I cannot stress that enough.

How Do You Go About Achieving Your Goals?

Turning to the issue of how to go about achieving ambitious goals…

I often come across extremely driven, determined people who just don’t seem to be making any progress. Most of the time, it’s because they fail to find the correct balance in setting their short and long-term goals.

In other words, they set short-term goals that are too big, and long-term goals that are too small.

Setting big, even huge, long-term goals is nothing to be afraid of. You can make your ultimate goal as big as you like, as long as you stay conscious of the fact that anything worth having does take time, passion and determination.

You cannot earn a degree, master a musical instrument, or have a thriving Internet business in a couple minutes. Just like Rome wasn’t built in a day. Instant Gratification is a virus that needs to be stopped.

On the other hand, setting short-term goals that are too big can be detrimental to the achievement of your final goal. Motivation is vital for getting things done. So, when you fail in one of the shorter term goals, you risk losing your nerve and abandoning your dream completely!

A wonderful technique to avoid that from happening…

Cut the big picture into small, very small and doable pieces. Transform your journey towards the final goal into a series of tiny, mini-steps. Make sure each of these steps is so small that it makes you think they’re too easy—they might not even look like actual steps!

Write down every single one of them in a list. Tackle each step, one at a time, and check it off on the list once you’re finished with it. Ticking things off is a very powerful technique to motivate yourself. You are giving yourself a personal reward of sorts every time you complete a task. This will keep you going until your dream finally materializes.

Sounds pretty simple, doesn’t it?

Well, one could say simplicity was the father of achievement. ;-)

Bottom Line

The right strategy is to think big, but execute small. After all, the only way to get from here to where you want to be is by taking all the little steps in between.

Give yourself permission to motivate you.

—Marcus Hochstadt

Maybe we were a kid when we had our first dreams about conquering the world. Or maybe we didn’t have our first dreams of lofty achievements until we were well into our 30′s. Either way, a dream for most of us remains just that—a dream.

So what’s the difference between achieving goals and spending your whole life just dreaming about achieving them?

The difference always lies in the level of desire.

Achieving goals has nothing to do with where you’ve come from or where you currently are; it has to do with how badly you want it. If you want it bad enough and make the choice to do whatever it takes to get where you want to be, goals will be achieved. That doesn’t always mean it’s easy to get there, but it’s only as difficult as we allow it to be.

Most of us believe achieving our goals is impossible because we just don’t want it bad enough. Our desire doesn’t outweigh our complacency. We take the path of least resistance, which often is to stay where we are. We decide it will be more difficult to make the changes needed to achieve our goals than it will be to find a way to be happy with what we currently have.

This is what happens when there is a low-level of desire—everything seems impossible.

However, with a high-level of desire, the steps that must be taken in order to achieve goals simply become a series of choices. There are no struggles or challenges, just choices.

It’s easy to let go of the things that are holding you back when the level of desire is stronger than the complacency to stay stuck where you are. The moment the decision is made to let go of the things that are holding you back from achieving your goals, the journey becomes much easier.

Try this exercise…

Think about something you really want. Maybe you want a better job, improved health or a million dollars in the bank. Whatever it is, make sure it’s something you really want.

Close your eyes for a moment and imagine living in the moment of your achievements. How do you feel? Excited? Happy? Grateful? Can you imagine yourself surrounded by friends, family and loved ones as they cheer you on?

Picture yourself getting pats on the back, big hugs and handshakes from people you love… feels good, doesn’t it?

Know that anything is possible and you have the power to create whatever you desire. It comes down to deciding what you want, identifying what it takes to get there and the dedication to make it happen no matter what.

Make a list of dreams you want to achieve. Then make the choice to keep going until you make them a reality.

Achieving goals is not dependent on age, culture, geographic locations or background—they are only dependent on your level of desire.

—Marcus Hochstadt

I know people with big dreams. Each and every single one of those dreams involves making a significant change in the way these people are currently living their lives.

Have you ever asked yourself why so many people spend all that time dreaming, but so few actually manage to live the life of their dreams?

The way I see it, the world is split into two camps: the world of people who actually get things done and the world of people with wishful thinking. So, what really makes the difference?

The answer to that question is twofold… It depends on peoples’ level of commitment to their goals and the way they go about achieving them.

Your Level Of Commitment

Big, ambitious goals demand a lot of energy, passion, commitment, determination, and persistence.

Why do you think Michelangelo took four years out of his life to carve the famous statue of David? Why do you think NASA keeps sending astronauts into space? Why is the tallest building in 2020, the planned Al Burj on Dubai’s waterfront, going to be over 1,000 meters high?

All these big projects were and will be achieved because they have one very important thing in common. The people behind them cared enough about them to make them happen. Tackling the question of what the source of true commitment is, then, becomes quite simple.

Commitment always starts with identifying a dream that is truly worth having, one that makes you stay up at night.

What do you really care for?

What is it that you really want, from the bottom of your heart?

How much does your dream mean to you?

Does it mean enough to you to commit yourself to it?

It’s something you need to become clear about before you embark upon achieving your goal. I cannot stress that enough.

How Do You Go About Achieving Your Goals?

Turning to the issue of how to go about achieving ambitious goals…

I often come across extremely driven, determined people who just don’t seem to be making any progress. Most of the time, it’s because they fail to find the correct balance in setting their short and long-term goals.

In other words, they set short-term goals that are too big, and long-term goals that are too small.

Setting big, even huge, long-term goals is nothing to be afraid of. You can make your ultimate goal as big as you like, as long as you stay conscious of the fact that anything worth having does take time, passion and determination.

You cannot earn a degree, master a musical instrument, or have a thriving Internet business in a couple minutes. Just like Rome wasn’t built in a day. Instant Gratification is a virus that needs to be stopped.

On the other hand, setting short-term goals that are too big can be detrimental to the achievement of your final goal. Motivation is vital for getting things done. So, when you fail in one of the shorter term goals, you risk losing your nerve and abandoning your dream completely!

Here’s a wonderful technique to avoid that from happening…

Cut the big picture into small, very small and doable pieces. Transform your journey towards the final goal into a series of tiny, mini-steps. Make sure each of these steps is so small that it makes you think they’re too easy—they might not even look like actual steps!

Write down every single one of them in a list. Tackle each step, one at a time, and check it off on the list once you’re finished with it. Ticking things off is a very powerful technique to motivate yourself. You are giving yourself a personal reward of sorts every time you complete a task. This will keep you going until your dream finally materializes.

Sounds pretty simple, doesn’t it?

Well, one could say Simplicity was the father of Archievement. ;-)

Bottom Line

The right strategy is to think big, but execute small. After all, the only way to get from here to where you want to be is by taking all the little steps in between.

Give yourself permission to motivate you.

—Marcus Hochstadt