Where are you going as an individual, couple or family? Let me be more specific: Where are you going relationally, financially, morally, spiritually and professionally? What does the ideal future look like for you, your marriage and your kids? 

Andy Stanley says our direction, not our intention, determines our destination. Are you using your GPS (Goals, Passions, Struggles) to help you navigate what is in your heart to turn your dreams into a reality for yourself, your marriage and your familial relationships?

I realize these are huge questions. However, according to an article released by Fast Company, 23% of American workers plan to quit their jobs in the next 12 months. Many are calling it the great resignation. According to research by Fast Company, 32% say the number one reason for quitting their jobs is because they want better working conditions. 

Many college students graduate with a four-year degree, carrying thousands of dollars worth of debt in college loans, bouncing from one job to the next because they’re unsatisfied and unclear about what they want to do with their lives and career. 

Let me encourage you to carve out some time to reflect on where you are in pursuing your dreams. Set aside some time to reflect on your goals and aspirations with your spouse and kids. Having these conversations sooner rather than later can help guide, direct, encourage, reinforce and support you as you move toward turning your dreams into a reality.

Below are a few thoughts to help you define or redefine your dreams: 

1. Believe in yourself.

What do you bring to the table regarding your strengths, passions, experiences and abilities? It’s essential to write down what you’ve attempted before and found successful. That’s your track record. Don’t accept your life, marriage or family as it is because it’s the hand you’ve been dealt. Please don’t believe that life is as good as it will get. It’s your responsibility to become everything that you are capable of becoming, not only for your benefit but for everyone else’s in your life and sphere of influence. 

2. Believe in your dream. 

Your journey will have a profoundly positive impact on the people you love. Keep the dream alive by imagining what difference it will make to have a clear direction for your marriage and family, and take the necessary steps along the way.

3. Set benchmarks.

Any road trip involves stops to refuel the car and the people inside it. As you think about the journey, what progress can you expect in three months, six months, a year, five years, etc.? These benchmarks will remind you that you’re making progress. They will also reinforce your “why” and “where” to fulfill your life’s purpose. 

4. Find the balance of reaching for the stars and being rigorously realistic. 

Most of us drift to one end or the other, so you may need some help finding the right balance. The people around you may not be cut from the same cloth, so don’t assume they’re as aggressive or as cautious as you are when achieving your goals. 

5. Find a partner. 

Your spouse, kids or trusted friends are built-in accountability partners. Bounce ideas off them, ask for their feedback, and talk through details with them. It’s essential to engage them in every step of the process. Remember, it’s their journey, too!

6. Be persistent. 

Like we encounter potholes, detours, delays and other problems on every road trip, it’s the same in life’s journey. Expect them, prepare for them as best you can, and don’t panic when they happen. We may face pushback from people who don’t understand our dreams, and some of those people may live under our roofs! One of the marks of maturity is the ability to graciously press ahead in challenging times. Some experts observe that many people experience “the death of a dream,” but that death becomes the source of a new way of pursuing the dream that’s even better than when it was originally conceived.

7. Don’t compare yourself or your dream to anyone else. 

Comparison is entirely normal … and absolutely lethal! When our eyes are on someone else, they aren’t where they should be. You may have heard of the 18/40/60 Rule: When you’re 18, you worry about what everybody else is thinking about you. When you’re 40, you don’t care what others think about you. When you’re 60, you realize no one has been thinking about you!

8. Celebrate often and well. 

One of the most effective ways to stay on track with any goal is to celebrate incremental successes. If we wait until we arrive at the destination, we will have missed countless opportunities to say, “Hey, look how far we’ve come! Isn’t that amazing?! I can’t wait to see what’s coming next.”