With whatever you want to achieve in your life, you need to include the following key ingredients in your recipe for success:

• an idea
• a plan of action
• a supportive team
• the necessary resources
• tremendous patience, and most importantly
• unwavering determination to overcome obstacles.

If you have these things, no dream is too extreme.

So you have your big idea. Now what?

When beginning any goal, you first need to clearly define your target. So, ask yourself, “What do I want to achieve?” Make sure your goal is targeted and focused. That is, be specific about what you want to accomplish and give yourself a timeframe and a deadline.

Also, your goal should be trackable; you need to be able to measure your progress along the way and you need to be able to recognize success when you’ve achieved it.

Additionally, verify that your goal is indeed attainable; if it isn’t, don’t give up, just reevaluate and modify accordingly. This could mean trying a different approach to reach the same goal or modifying the initial goal to make it more feasible.

Finally, be certain that your goal is personal to you. You need to be targeting a goal that you genuinely want, not because other people expect you to do so. That will be a recipe for failure.

A dream is simply a goal without a plan!

After you’re set on what you want to do, make a plan. When forming your plan, remember: Often, the hardest part of any project is starting it. But, having a plan and sticking to it can make even the biggest dream possible.

For some people, putting together a plan can seem pretty intimidating. If this describes you, don’t despair. Instead, find yourself a good assistant. Find someone who will listen to you talk about your goal and who can help put your ideas into more of a step-by-step plan. Remember, every great leader in history had a support team. And, sometimes, just being able to talk through your ideas with someone else can help you determine what you want and how to get it.

Putting a plan into action

Once you’ve developed your plan and you know what you need to do to reach it, build the rest of your support team. For this, you will need to do two things: bring on the positivity and avoid the negativity. Surround yourself with people who you can learn from and be encouraged by—mentors and like-minded, supportive people. And, even more importantly, avoid negative people and naysayers.

Next, provide yourself with sources of motivation. This could mean creating visual aids like dream boards and inspiring quotes, so that every time you see these things you are encouraged. Also, use calendars, charts, and lists as tools to chart your progress and see where you are in terms of reaching your goal.

Remember the virtue of patience. Be kind to yourself and be patient with your progress. Don’t beat yourself up if you aren’t where you want to be in terms of reaching your goal. Use that knowledge to keep at it and always be sure to celebrate the progress you’ve already made along the way.

Along with patience, add determination to your arsenal. Even when obstacles come up and things don’t go your way, don’t give up. If your goal is important to you, you can’t give up on it.

Finally, and most importantly, get going! Don’t talk your ideas to death and don’t get so bogged down by all the details and what-ifs that you are afraid to do anything to make your dream a reality. Once you start, get into your own groove, and gain momentum, you will be well on your way.