Three easy steps
Update 2025: This is the original version of my formula for turning dreams into reality. As you can see, I’ve been refining it for many years. See the evolution of my thought process below.
I’m also filing this under “The Hero Series” because, to me, this is what a hero does. The hero has a dream and enters the unknown to make their dream real. Anyone who can do this is inspiring, and I think we label them as heroes because we admire them and want to do the same thing.
I thought of this magical formula while traveling around the world on a bicycle. It may not seem like magic to you, but think of it this way: One day, you have a dream of growing a garden. After some planning, you decide to plant a tomato garden. Soon, with a little bit of luck and a lot of watering, you will hold a tomato in your own hand. That tomato didn’t exist. Where did it come from? Every time I harvest a tomato from my garden, it sure seems like magic.
To me, the dream itself is magical, too. They just pop into my head, like a tomato in the garden of my imagination, and scream, “Me! Do me!” I believe dreams are the most important part of creating any reality, but arguably, taking steps of action is even more important. You may not be able to instantly turn water into wine, but with hundreds of steps, you could learn the art of winemaking and eventually make a glass of wine. It may seem mundane to you, especially if you are stomping all the grapes with your feet for hours and hours, but to everyone else, the glass of wine will look like magic.
This is how to turn dreams into reality. I break it down into steps below.
My original “magical” formula
Update 2022: We created a beautiful infographic to illustrate this whole process. How to turn dreams into reality.
Step 1) Dream it!
To me, the first and most important step is to find a dream. In other words, I believe your life is fueled by your passion. If you could do anything, what would you do? Take the first step in creating a new reality — dream big! How do you feel about that dream? Are you passionate about it? How can you fuel that fire? Are you afraid of it? Do you doubt it? Ask yourself how your fears and doubts are protecting you, and use them to your advantage!
Step 2) Plan it!
Take that micro-reality of a dream and make it bigger by giving it more energy. Talk about it with your friends. Get valuable feedback on how to make your dream come true. Declare your commitment to yourself and the world. Watch the passion grow in other people. The more people you inspire, the merrier. The merrier for you and the merrier for them. Even if you decide to make a solo journey around the world on a bike, someone has to build the bike, and someone has to build the road.
Step 3) Do it!
Strangely enough, a good idea and a cup of coffee will get you a cup of coffee. We live in a 3-dimensional world that requires honest effort. Even magic takes effort. So, get your community together and get going. They didn’t build Rome in a day, but remember you’re doing this because you said it would be so, and you thought it would be fun and exciting every step of the way.
Caution
You gotta believe it. Do you have some hidden baggage in your subconscious? Do you feel like you’re not good enough or that you don’t deserve it? Thoughts like these could be sabotaging all the good intentions and hard work in the world. Dig it up and throw it out.
The evolution of my formula
Update 2016
I was really proud of my original formula. But the phrasing — dream, plan, do — seemed too absolute.
I thought there was one correct solution to any given problem, and then I tried to plan my steps of action perfectly and do everything just right. You know what happened? I often failed. But, sometimes, my failures were pleasant surprises. Like once, when all the potatoes in my garden died, I dug them up and threw them into the compost heap. The following year, I found dozens of potatoes growing in the compost heap. I got more potatoes than I imagined possible, and I didn’t have to do one ounce of work.
The accidental success with my potatoes taught me that my formula was missing the fun and surprise, and room to improve. Eventually, I met my co-author, Sara, and after brainstorming, we came up with:
- Dream it.
- Map it.
- Play it.
This put the fun back into it. Instead of planning, now we are exploring. And, instead of doing it, now we are playing. This gives us more freedom to make mistakes and see them as learning opportunities or happy accidents, like the potatoes. It also made a nice contraction: Dreamaplay.
Update 2025
During the 25th anniversary, I thought my website needed a refresh, and along with it, my formula. I still use my dream it, map it, play it formula on my kids’ website, but this wasn’t working for my adult audience.
After more thinking and brainstorming, I came up with the following.
I felt that Plan and Explore had better connotations for an adult. But it is Step 4 that is critical. I realized that not all dreams come true. So, there is an essential reevaluation stage. Even if your dream does come true, it is still valuable to reflect on whether you feel like an actual success. I mean, is there any point to chasing dreams if we don’t enjoy the journey and feel fulfilled in the end? Either way, success or failure, learning how to grow is of paramount importance.
I don’t need to do a lot of explaining here. Please click on the steps above to learn much more.
By the way, I have simplified the above formula into a fun and memorable acronym. In this case, the goal is a dream you have committed to making real. And the action is a combination of planning and exploring, anything physical in the real world, anything but thinking. I often spend long hours dreaming, which may be fun, but doesn’t get me far all by itself.
G.A.G .
- Goal.
- Action.
- Grow.
It makes me laugh in the morning, thinking I’m going to GAG on life. It’s a fun reason to get out of bed.
