How to Fulfill Your Dreams in Life (2023)
If I knew how to fulfill your dreams in life, I’d probably be a rich man. But I don’t. What I do believe is there are ways to make our dreams more likely to be fulfilled.
It’s mostly a matter of being open to possibilities and trying new things. I can recall having a lot of dreams growing up.
When I was in either elementary or middle school school, a guidance counselor had us write down what we wanted to be when we grew up.
I wrote down I wanted to be either a basketball player or a rapper. If you’re the same background as I am, you probably aren’t surprised. It’s a little bit of a running joke in our culture.
But that aside, I was never good at running and dribbling. I barely made any of my shots. As far as the rapper thing, my freestyling still needs work.
But after learning to play the guitar, I knew my ultimate dream. I wanted to be a successful songwriter.
While I haven’t achieved that yet, I still believe I will one day. And I believe I will be doing the same things that I think will help you in fulfilling your dreams.
1. Keep pursuing it
You know, there are many stories of people who made their dream happen later in life. As long as you’re still breathing, you never know what could happen.
Sheryl Crow is one example. She’d been a teacher, a jingle singer, and a backup vocalist all throughout her 20’s. She could have moved on once she hit her 30’s, but she didn’t.
And at the age of 31, she had her first hit with “All I wanna do”, and the rest was history.
Samuel L. Jackson is considered a household name now. But throughout his 20’s and 30’s, while he had some minor achievements, he didn’t get his big break yet.
But he kept at it, started getting bigger roles in his 40’s, and at 46, achieved his breakout role in Pulp Fiction.
It just goes to show, if you keep pursuing what you desire, you might eventually catch it one day.
2. Keep practicing
Maybe what you envision doing someday is something you’re not that good at yet. When I started writing songs, I didn’t really feel I was that good.
But I kept writing new ones. I can honestly say I’ve gotten a lot better since when I first started. Not everyone is just gifted at what they do.
Take comedians for example. Most of them bomb on stage the first few times they do it.
I remember hearing an interview where Kevin Hart talked about how he bombed a lot early in his career.
As he practiced it more, and discovered what worked for him, he’s now become one of the most successful comedians in the world.
The moral here is to just keep practicing what you want to be and get better. One day, you could potentially get good enough to where others start noticing.
3. Believe it can happen
A lot of times people’s desires never happen, because they don’t believe it can. With that mindset, you make it less likely to come true. Two quick questions.
- What if the Wright Brothers never believed they could make a plane fly in the air?
- What if Thomas Edison never believed he could make a light bulb turn on?
We’d still be stuck with using candle lights and gas lamps. And who knows how many places around the world we’d never know existed.
It takes having confidence in yourself, and in your ideas, in order for things to be possible.
4. Use affirmations and visualization
I know what you’re thinking. It’s probably some form of, “Come on, really?”. But you’d be surprised how useful these tools can be.
Jim Carrey wrote down a 10 million dollar check for himself in 1985. He dated it to be received in 10 years later.
And in 1995, he was cast in the film “Dumb and Dumber” for guess how much? Yes, 10 million dollars. Now would he have succeeded without writing that down, who knows.
But many other people have used affirmations as a part of their success. With visualization, this is something that athletes do all the time with great results.
If it can make their dreams come true, why can’t it make ours? You’ve got nothing to lose and potentially a lot to gain using affirmations and visualization.
5. Continually learn
Every successful person had to learn things to get where they are today.
See what knowledge you can find from those who’ve achieved the dream you wanted. Maybe they’ve shared tips on how they succeeded.
We also have a pretty good tool in the internet with loads of information out there. You just have to be committed to searching for new knowledge to help you.
6. Be open to opportunities
There are many opportunities out there that we don’t take enough chances on. Who knows if some of them could be the stepping stone to making our desires come true.
American Idol Season 2 winner Ruben Studdard didn’t initially want to tryout for the show. But one of his background singers wanted to do it, and he decided to come along too.
And of course, that decision led to the beginning of his successful music career. It goes to show that the right opportunity may look completely different than you expected.
7. Connect with people
It’s much harder to get anywhere in life with no people you’re connected to. I think of the lead singer of one of my favorite bands.
Patrick Stump just happened to strike up a conversation with someone at a record store about music. They would eventually get to talking about being in a band, and again, the rest was history.
As someone who’s more introverted, I know how difficult this can be for some. But pushing yourself to meet new people and form new relationships can expand your opportunities.
Someone could know someone who might be able to help you get on the right path. You just have to learn to be more comfortable talking to people.
There are probably many other ways we can make our desires more possible. But these ideas can be a great start in improving your odds.
One day, I believe I’ll write a song that becomes a hit around the world. And if and when that happens, I look forward to the greater inspiration this article will provide other dream chasers out there.