Set aside time for your dream

TACTIC: Schedule time to think about your dream, set long-term and short-term goals, and plan tasks.

A dream is like a garden--you need to nurture its growth. Designate a particular time during the week for your dream. It might be during an exercise period or walk to work.

What specific things can you do to make your dream come true? Write these down as goals. Break down a major goal that may take you years to complete into short-term goals that you can accomplish regularly. Then generate daily tasks to accomplish parts of these short-term goals.

Once you have your dream statement, you have a powerful motivator. You should find that you are very anxious to complete the tasks you make to accomplish your dream.

Gather resources for your dream

TACTIC: Gather information that will support your dream.

For example, find out about jobs in places where you want to live or internships and starting jobs in your dream profession. An opportunity to move closer to what you want might just be a matter of connecting with the right information.

Include in this information contacts with people who are living your dream. For example, want to be an actor? Perhaps there is an actor who you know--perhaps an actor from your hometown or your local theater group who has gone on to a professional work--who will give you advice or be your mentor.