It is easy to have dreams. Really easy, because there isn’t any work that goes into it. Dreams are essentially thought-out desires. You want a sandwich, sure. But not just any sandwich. You want the mother of all breakfast sandwiches. It’s what happens when your mind gets a hold of your instinctual urges.

So, that is what a dream is: something you want. How, then, do you get that dream accomplished? The first step is turning it into a goal. What is different in a goal than a dream? Hold on and quit asking questions. I’m about to answer.

A goal is quantifiable, measurable and accomplishable. It is specific and has both the starting point and ending point in mind.

Quantifiable

There are things that go into the completion of a goal. In the example I gave above, it would be ingredients. You don’t just dream up a sandwich. You think up a 20 lb breakfast sandwich containing three pounds of bacon, two pounds of ham, a bag of hash browns, two dozen eggs and more cheese than you would have thought was healthy. All on top of a jumbo loaf of French bread. Those are list items, and are things you can get and compile.

With any goal, this is the same. Don’t just want a new job. Want a job that has these specific characteristics. Or want to complete a Spartan Race, not just “be more athletic.” Want something specific and quantifiable.

Measurable

How will you know when you have your sandwich? When all the quantifiable ingredients are combined in sandwich form. This is the same with any goal. When you are able to accomplish each obstacle for the Spartan Race, that is your measure. When you have found a job that fits what you want.

The ability to measure is necessary in order to make sure what you are doing matches what you want to be doing. If you cannot check in with your goals, you will probably not see them accomplished. Sheer luck works, but only if you know what you’re shooting for.

Accomplishable

Set an end date. I will complete a Spartan Race by July of 2017. I will be in a job I love by the spring. I will make and eat the Mother of All Breakfast Sandwiches tomorrow morning. Have a deadline, or else you will find your goal getting ignored in favor of other things that do have deadlines. Set it and stick to it. Even setting deadlines for your measurement points is a good idea. I will buy ingredients tonight. Make the sandwich at 7:00 a.m. Eat it at 7:45 a.m., and go to work with a full belly. Goal accomplished.

Also, make sure your goal is possible. Walking to the moon might sound like an awesome accomplishment. And it would be. If you could do it. Don’t sell yourself short by any means; take on unrealistic goals if you are willing to put in the hours. But don’t put hours into something you will realize you can’t complete regardless of how hard you work.

Another important element that shouldn’t really need explaining is deciding in advance how much time you will put into this goal daily/weekly/monthly. Otherwise you will find your measurement points slipping by without you having worked towards them. This is more time management than goal-setting, but I want to bring it up nonetheless. Make sure you discipline yourself to work at it after you spend time figuring it out.

There you go. The three (four) elements of a goal. Take all your dreams and write them down. Then, find one you would like to make a reality. Figure out a quantifiable, measurable, and accomplishable goal to accomplishing this dream, and then do it. Work at it for whatever amount of time you decide. Don’t slack off or decide after you’ve started that you don’t want it that bad. Don’t let the work involved scare you off. Run after it.

(Also, in case anyone was wondering, the sandwich is based on a real sandwich my friend and I made several years ago. It was actually 25 lbs. And it was delicious. I wouldn’t recommend trying to split a 25 lb meal between two people. 12.5 lbs is very heavy on the stomach.)