Dreams vs Goals

(Never give up on your dream)

There is a difference and a correlation between the two. Let’s begin with definitions, eliminating the useless words so we can concentrate on the true meanings intended:

DREAM : a series of thoughts, visions, or feelings that happen during sleep

: an idea or vision that is created in your imagination and that is not real

: something that you have wanted very much to do, be, or have for a long time

 GOAL :something that you are trying to do or achieve

: an area or object into which a ball or puck must be hit, kicked, etc., to score points in various games (such as soccer and hockey)

: the act of hitting, kicking, etc., a ball or puck into a goal or the score that results from doing this

 Point #1:

You need to have a dream before you can define your goals.

We all have dreams . . .

things we envision that we want to happen in our lives, for our loved ones, and causes that we support.

Unfortunately, some people never stop to think beyond a daydream, which is defined as pleasant thoughts that distract one’s attention from the present.

A true dream is something you create in your imagination—that you want very much—it’s a vision. A dream is not a fleeting thought, but a real want that you desire from the deepest part of your soul.

How are they different from our goals?

I believe they are related. You need a solid dream—a vision you can name—before you can begin to set your goals.

Once you have the dream clear in your mind, then you can begin to create and write down your goals. By writing them down you are committing to the vision with steps you can take to achieve your desire.

Point #2  

Goals can be divided into 4 basic steps:

• First you have to have a Mission Statement. Put your dream down in writing.

Just because you may be a business with one employee, yourself, doesn’t mean you can skip on a mission. It is a very crucial part of defining your goal.

‘I want to save homeless children’ or ‘I want to be a bestselling author’

• Second you need to identify your Target Market, or better understood as zooming in on your customer, or audience.

   Find out more about this HERE: ezindiepublishing.com/marketing-stories-are-important/

Who do you intend to reach with your dream? Your dream and now your goals are personal, so shape them to match what you want to accomplish to attain your vision. Don’t worry whether they jive with what others do. It’s your dream after all.

‘I want to help children by assisting home shelter managers and workers’ or ‘I want to touch the lives of middle-aged women with my books and stories about murder’

We can’t please all of the people all of the time—as the saying goes.

• Third you need Strategy which is nothing more than a plan on how you will execute—reach your audience.

For example, many people tweet out ‘buy me’ when the best way to utilize Twitter is to send out messages that connect you to others and support with things that benefit others. Many on Google + don’t realize that are many conversations going on, a sharing of minds, once you engage in Circles.

So research and use social media to your advantage in order to engage others, and share your dream. Also don’t disregard other ways to get out your message. Social clubs, universities, Meet Ups, festivals and many more places offer ways for you to share your message.

Strategy is your game plan.

Today with social media venues, there are many ways and means to reach people. Try to utilize the strengths of the medium you choose that best fits your own style and message.

• Fourth a more detailed plan of the actual steps you will take to accomplish your strategy is called Tactics.

It sounds like a dirty word, but it’s quite harmless and very useful. It is the details of your strategy, or your action plan.

You may decide to use photography to reach out, or music, or a mixture of that along with articles and posts. This is where we can begin putting in place things we want to measure, to show us how we are progressing.

The tactics lead us to place we can gather the proof of our engagement, proof of our reaching our target audience, and thus proof if we are getting closer to reaching our goals, which have been defined by our dreams.

There are many tools to see the evidence of engagement to measure, check out Google analytics.

More about that HERE: ezindiepublishing.com/pointers-on-how-to-market/

If you don’t have good results—refine your strategy and tactics—but—

 Never give up on your dream!

  Keep reading – Keep writing!

Photos used above are by Frits Ahlefeldt – check out out his art at PublicDomainPictures.net