Imagine yourself going on a journey to somewhere you have never been before but have always dreamed of going. You are so excited to begin your new adventure that you set off with a seemingly well-rounded plan. However, you soon find yourself getting a little off course, and it begins to slow you down. Then you run into problems and distractions you hadn’t planned for. Soon you are so frustrated, you decide to turn back and abandon your dream.

Does this scenario resonate with you? If so, let’s talk about how to S.E.C.U.R.E. your dream by clearing the path to it with a well-thought-out strategy.

“Our goals can only be reached through the vehicle of a plan. There is no other route to success.” Pablo Picasso

State all your positions

When starting down any path, there is a starting point and a destination point. Think about those information maps in the malls. You know the ones that state: “You are here.” When creating a strategic plan to carry out your dream, you have to first know and sincerely nail down where you are starting from.

For instance, have you come up with a name for the business, ministry, or nonprofit you want to create? Do you know who you are seeking to serve? What supporting evidence do you have that you are indeed about to fill a need? These are just example starting points.

Then once you are clear about your starting point, you have to define what destination point you are working to achieve. For me, it’s about launching women (like you) into their calling. I’ll know that I’ve reached my destination point when both She Steps Forward Coaching and She Steps Forward International are consistently and successfully launching thousands of women here in the States and in Africa into specific, thriving entrepreneurial ventures that are having a positive community impact. So, take some time to really define where it is you are and where you are trying to go.

Once you have your starting and destination points, you are ready to start working on all the points that need to be reached in between. Some of you will have to undertake just a few steps and others will have multiple ones. It all depends on the size of your dream and the impact you are hoping to have.

Examine all your actions

Once you have all your points clearly laid out from start to finish, it’s time to figure out what actions go with each point. Every step along the path will be anchored by foundational actions that need to take place so you can move on to the next step.

For instance, in most cases, you’ll need a little financial assistance to get your dream off the ground. The first step in receiving finances is having somewhere to put them. So, a first step may be securing a bank account in the name of your business, ministry, or nonprofit.

Here's what I’ve found. Once you start laying out all those action steps, it can be overwhelming. But it doesn’t have to be. Take the advice of Desmond Tutu: “there is only one way to eat an elephant: a bite at a time.”

You should never attempt to do everything at once. In fact, I give you permission to only do one or two things at a time. The most important thing is that you start. Do something today that puts the wheels in motion for building your dream. Then tomorrow, take another action step. Then after that plan to take consistent steps daily, weekly, and monthly. Before you know it, you’ll be halfway down your path and well on your way to your future destination.

But please, by all means, enjoy the journey! Your destination point will be there waiting for you when you get there!

Consider all your options

Dreams can thrive or be left to die depending on one critical factor – the dreamer’s ability to have a flexible mindset. Consider this, every pathway we take in life at some point will lead to a crossroads or a detour. It’s going to happen, and you need to be prepared when it does.

When we come to a crossroads or a need to detour, we must resist feeling like we’ve hit a brick wall. Nothing could be further from the truth! You always have options. If you strategize long enough and allow your creativity to flow, you’ll come up with solutions that may work out even better than what you originally planned.

“Stay committed to your decisions but stay flexible in your approach.” Tony Robbins

Remember, your dream may expand or take a different direction the further down the road you get. That’s the exciting part of chasing a dream. God always holds a little something back until the right time because if He gave it all to us at once, we wouldn’t have the capacity to handle it.

God-sized dreams have to be “grown” into, not jumped into blindly. Trust the Creator of the world, He knows what He is doing! Allow for some flexibility.

Utilize all your resources

Let me just say for the record, you, world changer, are bringing more to the table than you give yourself credit for. Take a look around and take inventory of every relationship, every piece of education, every past experience, every skill, and every other resource you possess. Resources don’t just come in the form of dollars!

This is what I know about God and our dreams: He has given us what we need to get started on our dream and He will add to our resources when we show that we can be faithful in using them. Remember, the Bible tells us: “When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required” (Luke 12:48 NLT).

So, start off faithful to what He has given you to work with and expect more resources (and responsibility) down the road.

Remove all your nonessentials

To bring this point full circle, I want to recommend that you read my post titled Is Your Dream Crystal Clear or Clear as Mud? and look specifically at the section labeled Determine Your Priorities. In it, I dive into a discussion on how setting our priorities helps us see what's important and what's not when it comes to chasing our God-given dreams. And we're going to have to chat about the actual cost of having a dream as well, so if you haven't already, be sure to also check out How Much Is Your Dream Worth?

“Be willing to be uncomfortable. Be comfortable being uncomfortable. It may get tough, but it’s a small price to pay for living a dream.” Peter McWilliams

World changer, if you’re doing something that doesn’t get you further down the path to realizing your dream –let it go!!

Embrace your challenges

This is a big one. Every world changer has faced challenges. And when you start down the path to your dreams, there will always be challenges. The true key to overcoming them is simply working our way through them. Absolutely nothing grows us faster than the challenges we face.

And if your challenge comes in the form of a failure, take these words to heart: “Your dream doesn’t have an expiration date. Take a deep breath and try again.” Unknown Author

Friend, I have faced many challenges over the years, some that have brought me to my knees. But every challenge that has ever come up against my dream, I’ve learned to take it to God. For those of us that are faith-based, don’t forget that if God gave you the dream, He wants to help you achieve it. It doesn’t mean that He’ll just take the challenge away, but He will strengthen you through the process.

Here’s what Proverbs 3:5-6 states: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.”

Find a guide (coach) to help you

Hey, remember that trip we talked about earlier?

Now, imagine if before you left on your journey that you had a guide awaiting you. The guide takes the time to listen to your goals and desires. He or she then partners with you to plot out your course, helping you to consider all the possibilities and potential obstacles beforehand.

The guide also helps you expand your vision so that your journey turns into a grand adventure. Not only that, but because of your guide, you are truly able to focus on your destination and turn obstacles into opportunities. You are able to reach your destination in half the time you would have on your own! This is the difference coaching can make!

World changer, it’s time to SECURE your dream! I encourage you to consider coaching services now so that your path forward is smoother and more efficient. You don’t have to travel the path to your dream alone!