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Make a life plan to keep yourself on track, realise your dreams and create goals. It's easy and one of the most inspiring and motivation resources to have at hand...

When I was younger, I didn't really know what I wanted to be when I grew up and if you asked what my ambitions, goals, wishes or dreams were, I'd have struggled to answer. Years later, after achieving a couple of things I'm really proud of, I look back and realise that they were my dreams all along but I just didn't know it. In fact, I was reluctant to write anything down I wasn't 100% sure I'd achieve in fear of disappointing myself. Today, I'm not afraid to dream big and I'm a believer that you can achieve anything you want if you want it badly enough.

But how are you suppose to know what you want? Here's a little exercise that I like to do once a year or so, where I imagine my dream future to find the things I want to achieve. It's great for keeping me on track with goals and finding out what the essentials are for the year ahead. Ready to give it a go? Grab a pad of paper, your favourite pen and let's start dreaming...

1. Visualize the perfect life
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Take a sheet of paper and draw a little picture of yourself in the middle. You can use a photo or just write your name, if you're not that good at drawing. Visualise that you're looking at your life in three years time and that there's a genie sitting over from you promising that she'll make everything you write down come true. What would your dream life look like?

Dream big - the bigger the better! Write down every little thing that comes to mind, even if it sounds silly or conceited. Be as thorough as possible. Here are some things to ask yourself:

- Where would you live?
- What would your dream job be?
- Who would be in your dream life?
- What things would you own?
- What would your talents and skills be?
- What would you look like?
- What would your unique achievements be?

When you think you're done, stand back and look at your future life. Does it seem perfect? Does it have everything you need to make you happy? If so, let's move on...

2. Make lists
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A bunch of the wishes you've noted down will probably belong on lists, such as places you want to visit someday, things you'd like to own or people you want to befriend. Group similar dreams together and note them down on wish-lists with check boxes. I think the act of adding a check box is motivating enough to make sure you tick it off someday

3. Define each dream
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Now that you've got your dream life drawn out in front of you, it's time to define what all of the wonderful things you've listed mean. For example, what would having "an awesome blog" actually be like? Maybe it means updating it everyday, having millions of readers or being sent to cover exciting events. List down what each of your dreams would look like day-to-day and all of the elements it needs to be a reality.

4. Set goals
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Once you've defined your dreams, you can start creating goals to work towards them. Pick four or five you'd to get you started. I'm going to write an article soon about achieving your goals soon, so make sure to check back for more...

5. Share your dreams
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Sharing your life plan with someone you love is a great way to get motivation and encouragement to achieve your dreams. Also, why not play genie for a friend and help them create their own? I bet they'll mention a whole bunch of things you didn't even think about and you can bounce ideas back and forward.

What wishes and dreams would you put on your life plan?