3 Steps For Making Your Career Dream A Reality

Remember the scene in "Pretty Woman" where a man asks, “What’s your dream?” I watched this movie the other night, and the scene sparked a thought for me: Everyone has a dream, but very few of us actually share our dream with others.

There are a lot of reasons for this. Often it’s just a matter of confidence or fear of failure. But that’s the catch, we all need help from others to reach your vision, find your passion or achieve your lifetime goals. So, how do you make that happen?

1. Clearly define your dream. 

Although most people have an idea of what that perfect life or career would look like, few actually define the details. Few people take the time to understand the components. Have you thought about your details? Who is in the picture? What is the setting? What are you wearing? How do you feel?

2. Acknowledge your dream. 

For most of the population, a dream feels unrealistic. The delta between our reality and our dreams may seem too great. Few people see dreams become realities. Those who make it a reality do it by visualizing themselves achieving the dream. They feel it, they can taste it. These are the people who have the confidence to clearly communicate their dreams to others.

You have to believe your dream is possible for you. If you have a hard time with this, flip the question around, and ask yourself why your dream isn’t possible for you. Then tackle those fears.

3. Share your dream. 

It’s time to start shouting from the rooftops. Let’s move away from all the gender issues and fear of failure. Some people will be intimidated by your communicating your desires. Stop listening to them. The people who see your vision, care about your passion or who have similar lifetime goals will step up to the plate and help you get there. Use appropriate language and effective communication techniques and share your dreams with anyone who will listen.

Throughout Pretty Woman, Julia Roberts’ character walks through these steps. She finds the fairy tale because she was clear about what that looked like for her, and she effectively communicated her dream with someone who could help her achieve it. I hope your professional circumstances are quite different than those in the movie — but that your outcome is the same.