It’s 2026! Is this the year to balance your dreams with reality?
Amidst the usual flurry of new year blogs and social
media posts at this time of year, I thought I’d share some alternative thinking
to counter the typical ‘new year, new you’ messages. To be honest, I’ve taken
to responding to these along the lines of “I was my fabulously authentic self
last year, and I’ll continue to be my fabulously authentic self in the year
ahead, thank you all the same” 😉
Knowing where you are heading
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always been someone who likes
to know broadly where I’m going and how I’m going to get there. People have
called me ambitious and driven, but I don’t really see it like that. I just
don’t like wasting my efforts on the wrong things. If I am going to spend
valuable time working on something, I need to know that my efforts will pay
off. I find it motivational to have a plan that balances my dreams with reality, and this keeps me going when the going gets tough.
Pay-offs could be financial (such as a pay-rise or
winning a contract), intrinsic (the personal satisfaction of a job well done),
practical (enjoying greater work-life balance), or external (public recognition
or improved reputation). Recognising the specific factors that motivate us provides
useful insights into how we can best balance our dreams and reality to achieve
our plans.
Making your dreams meet reality
Aligning our personal goals and priorities with our life plans makes sure our dreams are backed up with some tangible actions. After all, there’s little point dreaming about becoming a marathon runner if the reality is you don’t prioritise a weekly training plan. Dream: become a super-fit marathon runner. Reality: binge-watching Netflix with a glass of wine takes priority every time (guilty as charged!)
Being absolutely clear about what your plan is provides
you with a solid start. That plan will probably need to evolve over time and
may need to flex as you progress through your career and deal with life’s various
challenges. And of course, most of us don’t really know what our life plan is
anyway, we may instead have an overall dream rather than a specific plan; or to
put it another way, we may have a vision we’re aiming towards rather than a
well-defined set of goals.
Turn the
vision into action
But we all know it can be helpful to turn our vision into a set of goals. This ensures we base our dreams firmly in reality and gives us clarity on the practical steps we can take to create the life of our dreams. Setting stretching but achievable goals can help us:
- Be clear about what we need to do – the changes to make and actions needed to stay on track.
- Prioritise day to day or weekly activities by focussing on the most important things.
- Determine what support we need from others to help us put plans into action.
- Assess our options or choices and help us make better decisions as time progresses.
- Measure and celebrate our achievements – it’s very motivational to see how far we’ve come.
- Increase confidence in ourselves and build self-belief – we’ve got this!
What if your goals lose their sparkle?
But wait. Over the years I’ve learned that highly defined and time-bound goals don’t float everyone’s boat. You may feel that rather than goals motivating you to achieve your dreams, they take all the fun and spontaneity out of them and suddenly there’s just a bit too much reality and not quite enough dreaming going on. I can certainly relate to that. I can already feel my motivation slipping away!
What’s more important is to focus on what you want to achieve and then figure out how to get emotionally connected to it in a way that financially, intrinsically, practically or externally keeps you motivated until that dream becomes your reality. That’s how we make sure we don’t give up when the going gets tough. I’ve spent the last two years working towards a Masters in Organisational Psychology and believe me, that emotional connection is the only thing that kept me going when I had too many competing priorities, deadlines and dips in enthusiasm.
So this new year, I urge you to get emotionally connected to your goals whatever they may be.
If you’re ready to turn intention into action this year and find that balance between dreams and reality, I’d love to help you make it happen.
Hi, I’m Sarah Harvey, the founder of Savvy Conversations and creator of the STREETCREDS framework. My approach helps leaders transform how they communicate to achieve better results and stronger relationships.