Chase your dreams, and create the life you desire!

Do you have an unfulfilled dream? Go for it!

No one will drop your life's dream into your lap. You've got to work for it.

Since I was a little girl, I wanted be a published author.

I was too afraid to tell anyone my dream, so when the time came to go to college, I took the safe path and studied communications instead of creative writing.

It served me well, I worked in broadcasting, journalism, and marketing most of my adult life. If I hadn't made that decision, my life would not have taken me to where I met my honey, so I don't regret my choices. I'm blessed.

Yet, I still longed to see my name on the spine of a book. My dream would not fade. So one day about a decade ago I decided to take a run at my dream.

By then, I'd been writing a novel (or two!), but I never submitted it to a publisher. Actually, I didn't know how. So I joined a writers group. Then I went to a writers conference. Then I joined a critique group and began to enter contests. I continued to write, continued to learn, and started submitting my work.

One magical day I got that email dreams are made of--the one from an editor requesting to see my full manuscript. The rest is history. I had two books published. My dream was realized.

I've thought of how lucky I am, but honestly, much of it was disguised as hard work. I didn't sit around daydreaming. I did all I could to make my dream come true.

You shouldn't give up on your dreams either. Do you have a dream? Here are 12 steps to take to make your dreams come true:

1. Set a goal. Really. Write it down, if you must. 
2. Make a plan. What do you need to learn or what certification/degree do you need to acquire to meet your goal?
3. Find others on the same path. The writing community helped me to stay in the game until my dream was realized. 
4. Become persistent in striving for your goal. For me, I wrote 1,000 words a day. 
5. Continue to learn. Go to school/seminars, read books that will help you learn. 
6. Go out on a limb. I entered contests to see if I was progressing in my craft. 
7. Tell others about your dream. Yeah, I know this one's hard. It was a long time before I didn't feel like a phony when I said, "I'm a writer."
8. Accept that challenges are difficult. Don't beat yourself up when you don't "get it" right away. 
9. Enjoy the process. One day you'll look back and be proud that you started, continued, and succeeded. 
10. Be grateful for any assistance given to you. 
11. Be generous in helping others along the way. 
12. Be gracious when you reach your goal.

Most importantly, take that first step!