You can move from where you are today to where you want to go tomorrow. Hard? Yes, possible goal. Clearly assess what it is you really want to achieve in life. The more specific you can be about what your dream really is, the easier it will be to map your path to success.

Your dreams don’t come true in a day. They take time. And sometimes you will need a little encouragement along the way to keep going. So every time you hit certain milestones, stop what you’re doing, take a break, and give yourself five for all the progress you’ve made.

The road to success is not that easy. It may take years for you to start making progress toward your goal. However, the bottom line is that you never give up on your dreams. For example, I really want to become an international researcher. As for cognition, I have it. Viscera? I have that too. Money? That is my biggest problem. I am a single parent. Basically, I want to give my children my highest priority over myself. But my inner drive is very strong to make my dreams come true.

What I did was accept academic writing projects online. A client gave me that break. The only person who trusted my ability to do so hired me to be his ghostwriter in the making of his Doctor of Philosophy book. I made that opportunity as my stepping stone to rise higher, get out of my comfort zone, and dream big to get closer to my goals.

Do you know what I learned? You don’t really need a lot of people to trust your ability. You need to find that person who believes in you and the rest will follow. Ironic, right? I cannot find that support even in my own family. But I am a very optimistic person. I don’t give up easily. And that’s worth celebrating because it drives me to keep going a little further.

My first breakup was in 2018. I really took the nerve to leave the country, although it scared me, because in the first place, it is my first time and I did not know anyone there. My only hope was my client’s promise that he would meet me at my hotel once he arrived in Malaysia. Taking that hope with me, I bet and invested in my first trip.

I don’t regret it because I met my client for one thing, I also got to meet other people from different parts of the world. Better also that I am multilingual and I speak quite a few foreign languages. It helped me a lot to adapt to the people I could be with.

Speaking of investment, I spend a lot of money on my studies. I’m hungry for knowledge, so I spend my free time updating myself and becoming more proficient in my craft. I believe in continuous professional development. Never stop learning, even if you are older. It enables you to meet the challenges of the digital age.

We need to take action to make our dreams come true. But dreams come true only as a result of doing what is necessary to make them happen. Making an effort and making a reasonable plan will guide you to success. There will be some roadblocks along the way, but if you learn from your setbacks, you’ll be even more likely to get what you’ve always wanted in the end.