Most of us seem to get caught up in our day to day lives, and we leave our dreams behind. It’s not that we forget about them; on the contrary, we’re often thinking of our dreams, fantasizing, and wishing that somehow life had led us in the direction of our dreams. There shouldn’t be any reason that our dreams cannot be fulfilled in our adult lives, though. There’s no reason that we should be waiting until retirement to travel, learn that skill we’ve been dying to try out, or spend more time with our families. No matter what your dream, or goal, is, you can start pursuing it now.

Fear of Missing Out

This is a phrase, sometimes referred to as FOMO, that has become pretty popular over the last few years. It’s pretty self explanatory. This feeling of missing out is often spurred when you see a peer going out and doing the things that you wish you were doing. For example, if one of your college friends spends a summer in the vineyards of Southern France, is constantly posting photos on the beaches of Bali, or quit their job and is going on a road trip of the United States. This can, very understandably, cause you to be jealous. Whether you know the situation or not, you feel like it’s not fair. You feel like you’re missing out. Maybe the trip was a gift, maybe they saved for years, or maybe it’s a reckless decision. No matter what the reason, the fact of the matter is that they are off on an adventure, while you’re sitting in a cubicle that’s just a little bit too cold.

You can use this fear of missing out to fuel your motivation to go out and do the things that you’ve always wanted, but don’t let the jealousy of what others are doing be the only motivation. These are your dreams, no one else’s, so don’t let it be about other people. Don’t do it just to show others that you actually did it, because you won’t enjoy it. You’re doing this for you, these are your dreams.

Make a game plan

You can hope and dream and fantasize forever, but nothing will ever happen unless you make it happen. Dreaming will motivate you, but unless you make it happen, it just won’t.

First, you’ll need to figure out what you need to accomplish before reaching your goal. Whether it’s travel, taking an expensive cooking class, or learning a second language, you need to figure out what has to happen before you can achieve your dreams. Often, these hindrances are financial. The easiest way to overcome this, is to figure out how long you’ll have to save in order to be able to fund your dream. Make the goal realistic, so you’re not setting yourself up for disappointment. Then, once you’ve decided how long you need to save, you need to do two things: actually start saving, and make a commitment. Put the date on your calendar, so you know when you’re planning on doing it. Chances are much higher that you’ll actually do it, if it’s written down.

Following through

There’s no reason for you to spend the rest of your life wishing you’d done things differently! You envy those people that achieve their dreams, but there’s nothing stopping you from doing the same things. So do whatever it takes to follow through on what you want to do. Aside from putting it in your calendar, or setting a deadline, another great idea is to tell someone about it. Tell a friend, partner, or family member, that you’re finally going to go skydiving, or start a blog, or move to the coast. Telling someone else about it also helps you realize your dreams, because it’s no longer a secret desire, you’ve actualized it by being vocal about it.

Like with everything in life, sometimes unexpected things happen and mean you’ll have to postpone your dream. Postponing does not mean the same thing as cancelling, however, and that’s important to remember. Sometimes things come up, and you just push through them and keep on pushing towards your dreams, the things you love, and the things you really want. Life isn’t any fun without something to look forward to!