How to Start Reaching a Goal

This dream is too high to reach or simply put, we just cannot get it or do it. We cannot have everything, but why cannot we have a slice of what we want? Maybe not even a slice but a bite. What frustrates is to miss even a taste of the spotlight, relaxation, luxury, prestige, entertainment, good food, adrenaline rush, and more.

Today's agenda is to potentially have what we want. It certainly is a milestone come to think of it. Say, for example:

But your knee cap twitched during a basketball game months ago, and even after weeks of rest and rehabilitation, you are still doubtful that your body can manage it. Doctor advised not to force your leg with strenuous activities for the next six months.

Perhaps shyness or fear gets in the way of running, not physical disability.

Alternative: Walk around your village for a warm-up and slowly jog in short gaits with a goal in mind, that is, to cover the distance from the first house to the last one at the end of the street then back. It may not reach five kilometers but it is as if you did. What is important is to get the feeling of running without the pressure. It is still exercise. You are still a runner. And since you do this in your area, you may spot a neighbor doing the same. If there is nobody else, then just remember that this is a taste of your dream. It is your fulfillment.

Or, keep calm and just have a walkathon around your place. Look at the map above. Did you see the oval-shaped route? Many take complete turns walking that path, which is approximately 2.2 kilometers. Not bad.

You are a working student but money falls very short for a brand new phone. There is payment for rent, food budget, miscellaneous fees, and school projects. Savings are for the next enrollment.

Alternative: Ask a well-off, trusted sibling, friend, classmate, or co-worker if you could try sending a message through her or his phone, and if it is not much to ask, to let you explore its features for a few minutes. It is not that you would steal it but you simply want to hold it and try it out. A good friend would not mind sharing with you the hype of having an iPhone or any latest mobile model out there.

Concert night is also dinner time with immediate family. Family comes first. Spending time with them over dinner is non-negotiable. It is not all the time you are with them because most days are spent with friends and co-workers. Cliche as it is, when the road trip on this highway of life gets bumpy, stopovers lead to the family.

Alternative: Go buy their latest songs. Play and replay them as many times as you want, with a head bang, if you may, for a music trip after dinner. While listening, check out their latest tweets and updates on networking sites. Comment, share, and like. Make your presence felt. Watch their videos on queue. Call it a night out with your band. Why not?

Dearest author resides elsewhere in the west, while you are from the east. A trip abroad is not in your itinerary, but deep inside you are dying to see the author of your all-time book pick. There is no news dear author is visiting your place. Seeing him or her in person fires up the writer in you. Imagine bringing along that book and have him signing it is awesome.

Alternative: Well, in every book read, a personality of the author somehow surfaces. Following a writer's masterpieces creates a pattern or style of expression later on becomes readable to an ordinary fan. Familiarity breeds understanding in a way. So, you may continue collecting the author's books first, and read them okay, not just display them on the shelf. Then go ahead google your way through his or her blogs, tweets, projects, even supported advocacy. Having received a reply to your comments is as close as a personal encounter.

Another diversion is to spot events where local authors held writing conferences and their new book release with up-close book signing. It is the atmosphere that counts here, plus the chance to meet authors. Chances are, an author can win your appeal and lead you to read his books. It may turn out you do not need to go hunt your admired author outside the country when a local author is creating a buzz right where you are.

It is obvious why this dream followed up on the list after having met famous authors. Their personal influence on you is important, say, crucial. But you are murmuring, "I am a frustrated writer," even claim it in your online profile. You keep on going but please stop. Now.

Alternative: If you can read these words and understand them, then you can write a sentence or two. A book is a big time shot but you can author a quotation, haiku, song, joke, poem, script, and a *hub* among others. Why not? Okay, just write whatever comes to mind in the mean time. It is still writing, call it your masterpiece, and keep it. Nobody needs to see it right away. Writing should not be overwhelming. It may prove more comfortable and liberating to you than say, public speaking.

And by the way, Facebook and Twitter pages are creative spaces to start. Be reminded, however, that there is freedom of expression on one side, on the other side there is responsibility of expression.

You empathized with a friend who shared his aspiration during a casual conversation - to become a chef. It is his far-fetched dream. A husband who loves to cook and craves for food on a tight budget. His earnings as a factory worker levels with everyday meals and expenses, and wife shows another baby bump. He passes by restaurants still with a faint longing to be the one preparing their fine meals. He only carries a paper bag full of veggies and portions of meat enough for a day's menu, and off he goes.

Alternative: Tell this to your friend: Not all hailed chefs in the industry attended formal culinary education. Some started work in restaurants simply as dishwashers and waiters. The atmosphere gave them familiarity to the menu, and the edge "working" with a master chef. It is all a matter of keen observation, listening, and natural curiosity. That said, applying for these positions instead of getting stuck in a factory setting is an alternative, and above all the opportunity to get along with a chef is a plus. Who knows, a friendship may form along the way and cooking lessons and tips are as informal as a casual conversation.

Also, since love for cooking is already in the blood, a cook at home is the "chef" in the family. Look at it this way. Everyday cooking is learning by doing, and that is how chefs sharpen their skills and cooking techniques. Being a home cook is so close to being a chef by profession. Take advantage, too, to ask recipes from neighbors and how they are done. Ask, too, the vendors at wet markets. Yes. They can help you identify poultry, veggies, sea foods, and even clues on what dish fits what you buy. A conversation about food adds points on cooking knowledge.

Mastering a foreign language means understanding and speaking as naturally as the locals do. You already speak two languages brought about by citizenship and formal schooling. Leveling up with another one shoots up personal marketability. Where is the rub?

Being a mom is no excuse you say, but motherhood is a noble and demanding role filling up your days with unpredictable, crazy, happy moments with your 12 children. You have no issues having them all around you the first hour every morning. You and your loving hubby cherish the blessing of a big family. No financial crunch, too, because business is keeping up.

Alternative: Instrumental to a child's success is a mother's care, and this has been proven many times. This truth alone should motivate you, as a mother, to never set aside personal development. Call it your "me time" dear mommy. Ask your husband a day off every week, which means he shall take your place bonding with your children and everything else in between. It is not too much to request this from a supportive, mature partner. Handsome points if your husband is naturally a hands-on daddy.

When husband consents, leave the house this one day. Yes. Savor your learn-a-language break. Armed with a guide book, read it while your hair mask is on at the salon. Better download applications with your smart phone, and listen while jogging around a park. See, it is possible even though mastering it the soonest may be too high an expectation.

Dine in a classy restaurant and taste their best meals prepared by renowned chefs. It is a haven of exquisite foods served with sophisticated plating. It is the place bankable personalities, artists, and celebrities hang out, and one of them you admire the most. For a foodie like you, it is a lavish treat to self, friends, and family.

But now and quite often, money is too tight no way you would be eating and having fun there, much more spot your admired celebrities. Rave reviews on magazines and features about the restaurant on broadsheets all the more thirst your appetite. It is like shooting for the star but have never even gotten as far as the moon. Frustration kills a bit.

Alternative: It is about being "street smart" these days. Most five-starred restaurants attract those up the bracket in status really, but it does not mean those below cannot enjoy hearty meals served with passion and creativity. No way. You might be surprised there are places hidden to many but once you have discovered them, they serve equally good, even better dishes.

It only means you have to own a professional camera and participate in formal photography classes for months. But you only have a newly-bought digital camera limited in scope, focus, lens, and other features. It is all you can afford. This dream sparks when you have sensed how good it is to capture special moments with an artistic perspective. They must be that special be they photos of family, friends, lovely pets, nature, events, structures, and yes, future weddings of friends.

Alternative: Master the features of your camera and make the most out of it. Go ahead and make the angle as you see it and shoot. Buy back issues of photography magazines and learn a few professional tips applicable in an ordinary camera. Somehow you are learning the language of photography, right? Take the shots the most in gatherings and parties if you want to unleash the "photographer" in you. People huddle for a quick shot. It is already rewarding when you post your shot in social networks and people respond with likes and shares. Visit photography museums and exhibits. Spot friends who may have attended short photography classes before and ask out of natural curiosity. Generally, people want to share knowledge. Remember, you may not be a pro but you can learn along the way.

This is way beyond possibility but the best one. You are just amazed how your son acts smarter than you are when you should be, only to realize and admit how lovely it would be to be a child once more, innocent and with high hopes in mind. You looked at yourself squarely and noticed the lines on your face. One, two, three grey hairs are telling. Honestly, you are fed up having gone through a wild experience - fun, excitement, thrill, adventure, heartaches, perks, jobs, and over again. Being a child again saves you from all the complexities, expectations, disappointments, and demands of being a grown-up. You want to start over a life giving lesser importance to unnecessary worries and cares.

Alternative: Physiologically impossible but there is a way. Play time with your children makes you act like them even for a while. It energizes you as much as they are enjoying. You laugh together, tease each other, and play hide-and-seek. Emphasis here since working parents may be missing out on this big time.

Besides bonding moments with your children, youthfulness adds up when you extend care to other children who are so wanting love in little ways. And in this I bet you are a pro.There are professionals devoting a day over the weekend teaching kids. It is a voluntary work for the less privileged, abandoned, or abused youth in poor villages. On this note, you may realize many children suffer from want of love and care from their supposed parents. Doing a good deed for kids makes a grown-up young at heart, and wiser.

Again, as for our dreams, we may not have the whole cake but we can have a slice of it or just a bite. There are more dreams as there are more possibilities. Recall your dreams. Go. Make them happen even in pieces.