When you train your subconscious mind, you can achieve any dream: find out how

“If you can dream it, you can do it”. It’s a well known quote by Walt Disney, and it’s a lot more profound than you might think.

Because everything begins in our mind, you have to have a dream before you can accomplish it. Unless you are able to picture the life that you want in your mind, you won’t be able to experience it in the physical world.

You may think that having goals and writing them down is easy, and that everyone is able to do so. Unfortunately, that’s not true.

While a very small percentage of the population does dream big, and is clear on what they would like to accomplish long-term, most people simply accept whatever society told them to do, and don’t like to question anything in their life. So naturally it’s difficult for them to have exciting goals.

According to many studies, those who experience sadness, depression, frustration, or extreme stress find it even harder. Those who have mental health issues usually have low levels of motivation and willpower, and may not even be able to come up with two or three new dreams.

The good news is that no matter who or where you are, you can learn to dream, so you can learn to change your life — even if you have depression or you’re going through a tough time. Really.

Even though right now your lifestyle may not be ideal, after reading this article you’ll have the tools and the skills to become a full time dreamer. Without further ado, let’s begin.

Why dreams are important

In short, dreams allow you to discover what’s truly important. Because most people never take the time to think of what they want, they end up living a life that’s designed to please others.

Conversely, by focusing on what you want, your whole existence will then align to your desires, often in unpredictable ways.

Some think it’s selfish to dream, but in general, it’s actually the opposite. By having a dream, your life will become more exciting, and your mood will improve (even before you accomplish your dreams): this, in turn, will make it possible for you to help and inspire others as well.

It’s impossible to contribute to the world if you don’t feel great in the first place. So it’s important that you know what your vision is, and that you always put yourself first. It’s not selfish — it’s what the Universe, or God, wants you to do.

Usually, as you go through the process of brainstorming and finding new dreams, you’ll first come up with things that you need, and then things that you truly desire.

For example, your first goals may be related to financial independence or abundance, meaningful friendships and/or relationships, health, and freedom.

Then, as you continue to brainstorm, your subconscious mind will probably come up with dreams that are much more original, unique, and totally unexpected.

This could be anything from deep spiritual experiences to traveling, charitable donations, building a product that improves people’s lives, learning new skills, or even finding your ultimate purpose in life.

Just like anything else in life, you usually start small, then grow and advance as much as you’d like to.

When you think of possible goals, one tip I encourage you to keep in mind is: never think of what you’re supposed to do. For example, you may be supposed to find a job, but it doesn’t sound very inspiring, does it? Focus on what you want instead (for example, a job that’s right for you, or a job you’d love), and it’ll be much easier to stay motivated.

Dreams allow you to discover what’s truly important

The difference between dreams and goals

Really, there is no difference except what we feel when we use each word.

We usually link the word “goal” to productivity: our career, a project we’re working on, or our physical health. On the other hand, the word “dream” is magical, and reminds us of when we were little.

When we “dream”, we tune in to our subconscious mind, past memories, intuition, and creative genius. When we dream, we’re unstoppable, and ignore those who tell us we’re doomed to fail.

In other words, goals tend to stimulate the rational mind, whereas dreams are linked to our subconscious.

14 questions to discover your dreams

As I’ve written in this article, questions are a great tool to have more clarity in your life.

While the average person reacts to the external world passively, and uses statements (for example: “this doesn’t work”), those who deal with their problems in a constructive way use questions (for example: “how can I make this work? What needs to be improved?”).

Sometimes the easiest way to discover what you want in life is to simply ask yourself positive, specific questions. Here is a short list that may inspire you.

  • What do I want?
  • What would improve my life immensely?
  • If money wasn’t an issue, what would I do?
  • If time wasn’t an issue, what would I do?
  • What kind of lifestyle do I want?
  • What kind of person do I want to become?

And most importantly:

  • What did I give up on because of society?
  • Who did I want to become as a child?
  • What would make me incredibly proud on the last day of my life?
  • If I were able to completely forget about the past, and turn into a different person tomorrow, who would I like to be?
  • What would make my life complete?
  • What would bring me the highest amount of joy?
  • What gives me the courage and determination to overcome any obstacle, fight any enemy, learn any skill?
  • What is so great, beautiful, and exciting, it makes sense to pursue it even if I were likely to fail?

You also want to make sure you don’t have too many limiting beliefs. When you think of or talk about your dreams, pay attention to negative words such as can’t, won’t, never, etc.

Perhaps right now you don’t know how to achieve one of your dreams, but you can learn how. Perhaps no one has ever thought of or created what you desire, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s impossible. Or, you may think you’ll never have the discipline to work on your goals, but if you find one that’s compelling, you probably will.

How to write down your dreams

The first thing you want to keep in mind when writing down your goals and dreams is that you have to be very specific. You want to train your subconscious mind to visualize a particular object or experience that’s your own.

If you are too vague, this may not work. So make sure that you include all the details, and be as specific as possible. For example, if you’d like to take some time off, write down exactly what you would do as soon as you stop working. Write down where and how you would spend your free time.

Similarly, if you’d like to move to a new house, don’t just write “I want a new house”. Think: where is it going to be located? Is it going to be big or small? What is it going to look like?

The second rule to keep in mind is that you should always write down your goals as if you were already experiencing them. This may seem strange at first, but it’s an excellent way to train your mind.

Our subconscious mind doesn’t speak our language: just like it doesn’t understand negation (so you shouldn’t use words like not or never), it is not able to picture things that happened in the past or will happen in the future.

So write down your dreams as if they were already taking place. Some examples:

  • Every day I wake up and (…)
  • I am grateful I am able to (…)
  • I own/have (…)
  • I experience/create (…)
  • I am (…)

The third rule is that you never write down dreams for other people, or the world. If one of your goals is to help others, or make the world a better place, that’s fine. However don’t write “my partner owns (…)”, or “my friend is finally able to (…)”, or “my country is (…)”.

Though achieving your dreams is likely to benefit others as well, it must be about you and your life. We all have a different path, and when it comes to other people’s life, there’s always going to be too many factors, and things you are not aware of — even if it’s a special person. So don’t write down anything about them.

Another recommendation is to take the whole process very seriously: use a new, beautiful journal; when you brainstorm, concentrate, and make sure there’s no external distractions; pretend it’s your homework.

Also, do it secretly. Don’t tell anyone. Even those who love and support you may not understand, and discourage you. If you think sharing one of your goals with your friends would keep you accountable, then go ahead. But I don’t recommend you tell them you have a journal where you write down your dreams.

The final recommendation is to only have a few goals. While it’s good to brainstorm and be as creative as possible, you don’t want to have an endless list of things to experience/accomplish.

If you have written down a hundred different dreams, it could be overwhelming. Conversely, five or ten dreams that are incredibly exciting will help you focus.

How to turn dreams into reality

Once you have written down dreams that are compelling and motivate you, you want to read (or write) them every single day, ideally twice a day.

Earlier I mentioned that our subconscious doesn’t distinguish between true and false and past, present, or future. Interestingly enough, it doesn’t know the difference between reality and imagination either.

So reading your goals and dreams every day is basically a brainwashing technique (a good one) that allows you to access the power of the subconscious mind even when your rational mind thinks it’s stupid, or it will never work, or your goals aren’t realistic.

Another reason you should read your dreams is that often we simply forget about the things we want to work on, no matter how important they are. If you use to-do lists or grocery lists, then it makes sense to do the same for your biggest dreams, right?

Whether you’re super busy or you do nothing all day, you want to remind yourself of the main things you want to experience/accomplish in life. You may think being motivated is enough, but it’s not.

Now, if you have a very clear and specific plan on how to get/do something, that’s great — work on your plan every single day. But if you don’t, don’t worry too much.

Because life is unpredictable, don’t be too focused on how you’ll achieve your dreams. Some of the greatest opportunities we get in life are basically impossible to expect or predict: be open-minded and understand that there isn’t just one way to get what you want.

Just be very clear on what you desire — your subconscious mind and your intuition will do the rest. Obviously, you still have to put in the work, but it’s crucial that you follow your intuition and pay attention to everything that happens around you.

Also, what if you do have a plan, but it just doesn’t work? What if you have a goal and after a while it turns out it’s too small?

There isn’t just one way to get what you want

Be flexible, and accept the fact you may make mistakes along the way. If you’ve written down ten dreams, two or three may not work out (usually because you’re not meant to experience them, at least not yet), and that’s okay.

You may be thinking: is that it? Is writing down what I want, and reading it twice a day all I need to do to live a better life?

In general, the answer is yes. But you have to be patient, and actually stick to it. How many people do you think have the discipline to do this every day? One in a hundred? One in a thousand?

And like I said, you have to be patient. I guarantee most people will write down what they want in five minutes, read it a couple times, then quit. Obviously, that’s not going to work.

You have to be consistent, and you have to believe it’s going to work. It’s okay if you’re skeptical at first: remember, your rational mind doesn’t understand everything.

Typically, the hardest part will be the first weeks or months. But as soon as you see some results, your motivation will skyrocket. The hardest part of changing your life is to believe it’s actually possible: when you realize the process works, everything will be easier.

Winners are not those who never fail, but those who never quit.

— Edwin Louis Cole

If you can dream it you can do it: summary

You have to be able to picture something in your mind in order to accomplish or experience it. Most people can’t do this, and that’s one of the reasons they have mediocre lives.

Dreams are very important: they allow you to become clear on what you want rather than what you’re told to do by society. And when you’re clear on what you want, your whole existence will gradually align to your dreams and goals, often unpredictably.

It’s essential that you take the time to brainstorm and write down what you really want in your life. If you can’t think of anything, ask yourself inspiring questions such as: “what would bring me the highest amount of joy?”, or “what would make my life complete?”.

When you write down the dreams, you must follow five simple rules:

  • You have to be as specific as possible
  • You want to write them down as if you were already experiencing them right now, in the present moment
  • The dreams or goals have to be your own and affect your own life — don’t write down someone else’s dream
  • You have to take it seriously, and make it a secret: if others find out, they may discourage you
  • Focus on a few compelling goals rather than a hundred mediocre ones: it will be a lot easier

To actually turn your dreams into reality, read them every single day, ideally twice a day (the vast majority of people will never have the discipline to do this, so if you do, you’ll have a huge advantage).

Be okay with the fact that life is unpredictable, and some of your goals might change slightly. For example, it may turn out some of your dreams are too small, or uninspiring. So if you have a plan, stick to it, but always be open to new opportunities and possibilities.

As long as you’re patient and consistent, reprogram your subconscious mind, listen to your intuition, and put in the work, you will succeed. You may not be able to achieve all your dreams, but you’ll probably achieve most of them. Once you see the first results, your willpower and motivation will skyrocket, and you’ll feel unstoppable.

Ultimately, if you can dream it, you can do it.