Ways To Stay Engaged With Your Dreams

Even though I love to set goals and work towards my dreams, sometimes I’m just not motivated to do anything about them.  That may seem crazy because if a dream is that important to us then we should be motivated to stay on task and keep things rolling, right?

Wrong.  If you haven’t noticed by now, life likes to throw curve balls.  We get mentally drained, distracted or overloaded with other things.  Whenever I feel like my goals are stalling or I’m not getting there fast enough, I use the following ideas to keep myself motivated.

Make a game out of it

Find a time management system or a way to track your goals that make it fun.  A “system” can be anything you want it to be, from a piece of paper and pencil to a computer program or a web app on your phone.  If you enjoy using the tool, chances are good that you will enjoy working on your goals with those tools.  When you find something that works, stick with it.  If you find that it bores you after a few days, move on to something else until you find a system that fits you best.  Adapt, change and make it your own.  There is no single time management or organizational system out there that works for everyone.  Find your groove.

Use a chart

Charts can be very motivating, especially when you start seeing significant progress.  When I started working on my fitness goals this year, I opted to start tracking them on a chart.  It keeps me engaged in where I am verses where I want to be and it keeps me accountable.  I’m personally using an app on my iPhone called “Lose It” to track my weight, my workouts and my nutrition.  The app makes tracking my fitness goals fun and I never tire of using it to log my progress.  Spreadsheets can be useful for charting or if you’re less tech savvy, there are a lot of goal-tracking applications on the web you can try out.

Find a buddy

Friends can serve multiple purposes when you’re working on your dreams.  If your friends are involved in or share your dream, set aside time to brainstorm with them on ideas to make things happen.  My band meets regularly to discuss our progress and set new goals and deadlines.  We also try to split up the tasks we need to accomplish so we work together as a team.  If you don’t have a buddy to help, try to actively seek one to help you stay focused and on track.  Accountability partners can make things fun and less overwhelming.

Let’s hear from you

What creative ideas do you have to stay focused on your dreams?  What are you doing that works for you and what have you tried that didn’t work out?