Step 1) Dream. Step 2) Map. Step 3) Play. And illustrations of the Dreamaplay hats. Each representing a different aspect of how to dream, and how to turn dreams into reality, and how to enjoy living your dream. The colander with lightbulb for dream it! The treasure map folded into a paper hat for map it! And the jester's hat for play it.

How to turn dreams into reality

The simple 3-step formula

This is our simple formula for turning dreams into reality. The infographic below is designed for a younger audience, but it works for everyone and anything, whether you are young or old, or whether you want to be an adventurer or a cupcake baker. If you want to try this process yourself, you can find a free downloadable PDF below. 

Step 1. Dream it! Symbolized by the dream cap, thinking hat.

Step 1: Dream it!

Everything begins with a dream. Take the first step in creating a new reality — dream big! If you could do anything, what would you do? This first step is to find a dream that you are passionate about, something that you would walk to the ends of the earth to accomplish. We wrote a book all about step 1 called — of course — Dream It! In our book, we break the dream process down into three mini steps. 

A bucket of sand with a starfish and some sea glass.

Fill your bucket

The first mini step to dreaming is to collect as many ideas as possible. We call this filling the bucket, or you could call it brainstorming. 

A pile of sand filled with objects, like: starfish, rake, shell, sand dollar, sea glass and more.

Sort your treasure

Now that we have a bucket full of ideas, we need to sort them out. Which ones are our favorites, and which ones match our values?

A sandcastle made out of sand and other found objects, like: starfish, bottle, sand dollar and sea glass.

Build a dream

Finally, we take the best of the best and we recombine the ideas until we get that AHA! feeling. 

Step 2. Map it! Symbolized by the paper hat made from a treasure map.

Step 2: Map it!

Once you choose a dream and commit to making it happen, now it is time to begin planning your journey. What steps do you need to take to reach your destination? What supplies will you need to bring with you? When will you begin? What will you do in case of bad weather? First, declare your commitment to the world. The more people you inspire, the merrier.
Pirate's Treasure Map illustration.

Plan for what you know

The first mini step to mapping is to make a plan of everything we know that we need. One example is the 5 w’s. We can outline the who, what, why, when and how of our plan.

Scroll to do list

Plan for what you know that you do not know

After outlining what we know, we will find holes. Now our job is to make a plan on how to fill those holes. For example, we can ask a friend for advice. 

Scroll backup plan

Plan for what you do not know that you do not know

Finally, we need to create a backup plan. If we are setting out on a new adventure, even if that is to be a cupcake baker, we are bound to run into unknowns. 

Step 3. Play it! Symbolized by the Jester Hat.

Step 3: Play it!

Once you have mapped (planned) your dream, you just have to do it. Sounds easy, right? The only thing separating you from your dream is participation — taking steps of action, trying and modifying, overcoming physical and emotional obstacles, and remembering to savor the accomplishments every step of the way.
A cat drawn in the style of a kindergartener.

Get your feet wet

No one is born knowing how to walk or swim or paint, and you can read all the how-to books in the world, but sooner or later, we all need to just do it. We all learn how to walk by falling down a few times.
A cat drawn in teh neoclassical style in a fancy frame.

Practice makes perfect

After trying out a few dreams and discovering one we love, our goal will be to make our dreams a reality quicker, more impeccably and with the most joy possible. That means lots of practice.

A cat drawn in the style of cubism.

Do it different

Let’s say you are stuck. You keep practicing, but you never seem to be able to make your dream a reality. Well, try doing it a little differently. Edison tested over 3000 different kinds of light bulbs before he found one that worked. 

Loving cup color

Congratulations!!!

One of two things happened

First) Your dream came true. Great! Now you can keep on doing it bigger, better or different. Or you can go back to the top and get a new dream. Second) Your dream did not come true. That’s okay too. Perhaps, you learned some valuable lessons. We call those surprise dreams. So, now you can try a new dream, or if you still feel committed to the same dream, you can go back to the top and refine any one of the steps of the process and try again.

Learn how to turn dreams into reality

The Dream Workshop

The Dream Workshop activities. There is an ice breaker, 3 worksheets and a certificate of achievement.

Try our evidence-based Dream Workshop. It’s a free downloadable PDF. 

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Dream It! A playbook to spark your awesomeness!

Dream It!

Do a deep dive into step one and learn how to dream and discover your passion with our book “Dream It!” Published by Magination Press an imprint of the American Psychological Association. 

Dream It! is chock full of evidence-based activities, games, and brainstorming questions to help you discover your passions, identify your strengths and values, create brand-new, unique-to-you dreams… and ultimately open the door to a life full of possibilities! So get ready—with this playbook as your guide, not even the sky’s the limit.

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