Have you noticed in life how there are some people who always know what they want to do. They have a dream and they go after it. For some this happens at a very early age. We’ve all listened to interview with various actors and singers talking about how they’d always enjoyed performing and showing off when they were very young and knew that it was something they wanted to do, even if they hadn’t worked out how they were going to do it. And they’re not alone. Lots of people have dreams about a career, a life style, children etc and whatever it is they want they go after it.

There are others whose dreams develop later because of specific circumstances. One of my friends decided when she was about 15 that she was going to pursue a career as a doctor because her sister had a potentially fatal condition. It wasn’t something she’d ever thought about before then, but it became her dream and she upped her game academically and eventually became a surgeon. However, there are a large numbers of people who have dreams but for a variety of reasons don’t pursue them. Parental disapproval or pressure, or family responsibilities are just some of the reasons that intervene or create barriers.

I find it quite sad when I hear people say “I wanted to do ....but I never have”. If you ask them whether they wish they had pursued their dream they often say yes. So if you have a dream what can you do to keep your dream alive in spite of your circumstances

Write it down: The best way you can keep your dream alive is to write it down. Write it down in as much detail as you can. If you’re a visual learner then add in photographs or pictures, anything that will help you keep your dream alive. If you find it easier record yourself describing, what it is that you want. It’s great to have dreams, but this is the first stage in turning your dream into reality. It may be a dream that may take you some years to achieve but there’s nothing wrong in that. It’s good to have it written down to remind yourself of want you want and realise what you have done towards it.

Make sure you really want it: Sometimes there are things we did want, but for whatever reason we don’t anymore. If you want to keep your dream alive – make sure it's still your dream. If it isn’t still imprtant to you, let it go.

Make sure it’s your dream: There’s nothing worse than trying to pursue someone else’s dreams. If you do that, it’s unlikely to bring you any pleasure.

Share the dream: Only share with someone who will be supportive and can help to keep your dream alive. However, there will be no point in keep talking about it, if you have done nothing to make progress towards it. It’s important to recognise that small steps are better than no steps at all.

Move towards your dream: To keep your dream alive, you need to be moving towards it. Even if it's something that is going to take you sometime to achieve, write a plan and turn some of the dreams into goals. It is something that can be reviewed. Decide how often you will work towards it. You may do something once a day, once a week, once a month. You have to do what works for you.

Take inspiration from others: Who do you admire who has attained their dreams? Very few people get their dreams without overcoming different barriers. Look at what they have done and see if there are things you could apply to your own circumstances.

Visualise yourself doing it: To keep your dream alive, spend some time on a regular basis visualising what your dream will look like when you achieve it.

So even if you cannot pursue your dream as much as you would like to in your current circumstances, remember to keep your dream alive by doing something on a regular basis to move towards it.