Do you dream about what you want your life to look like when you’re an adult? Many young people have a picture of what they want their life to be like. But making that dream a reality takes some planning!

You don’t become a famous musician without first learning an instrument. Likewise, all big goals are achieved with small steps you take along the way. Planning these steps will make achieving your dream feel more manageable.

What if you are confused about your future and have no vision of where you would like to be one day? Is that okay or should you do something about it? You don’t have to know every detail of what you want your life to be like, but having some ideas will give you something to work towards. Having NO plans for the future is not a good thing. It means you are not thinking long term and are only focussing on the short-term.

Start the journey to your goal by:

• Writing down what your big dream is - such as becoming a doctor, a nurse or a teacher.
• Then, what are the big steps you need to get there? For example, finish high school with good grades, get a bursary or apply to a university.
• Then break down each of the big steps into smaller ones, for example for finishing high school with good grades, take a look at what your grades are. To improve or maintain your grade, how many hours a week should you be spending on homework, studying or revision? Do you need to talk to a teacher about extra help? Can you set up a study group with friends?
• Keep going until you feel like you can’t break things down any further!

By breaking big dreams into steps (and those steps into smaller steps), you’re less likely to feel overwhelmed. And you’ll have a clear path to follow to your dream! Plus, as you tick off each step you’ll feel a huge sense of achievement. Score!