EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a guest post by Alex Fayle of SomedaySyndrome.com.

When you go to sleep each night, do you nod off content with what you have accomplished? Are you even aware what you did, or are your days full of just getting by?

If the latter, you are likely living on autopilot, letting the world decide your actions for you. When you live on autopilot, you don’t make active choices and you follow through on expectations without ever stopping and thinking about what really matters to you and what would make you go to sleep at night fulfilled by the actions of the day.

To turn off the autopilot you need to start making choices and that starts with deciding what you really want out of life. While that might sound like a daunting task, if you take it step by step you can not only figure out your dreams, but achieve them too.

Here are nine ways to figure out your dreams, turn off the autopilot and start living the life you really want.

1. Be aware of your life

If you live without paying attention to your day-to-day actions then you’ll never know what your dreams are, let alone achieve them. When you’re aware of your actions, then you can make conscious decisions that lead you to your dreams.

2. Stop focusing on the negative

While I love a good wallow, staying in a negative mental or emotional space will hold you back, stuck in self-pity, self-doubt and a life you don’t want.

3. Take off the rose-coloured glasses

Believing that everything will work out for the best is important, but belief isn’t everything. You need critical thought and action to go along with that belief.

4. Learn to direct your energy

Many of us have lots of dreams and to-do lists the length of our arms, however if we try to do it all, nothing will get done. That doesn’t mean having only one dream – I have three that I’m pursuing – but you can’t pursue ten at the same time.

5. Do what’s right for you

As kids you might have heard a lot about peer pressure and more likely felt it. Unfortunately it doesn’t go away when we grow up. And we can apply it to ourselves, internalizing what we think people want from us instead of pursuing what we really want.

6. Recognize the difference between dreams and daydreams

I love daydreams – I can pass the whole day dreaming about being the next JK Rowling – but the reality is that most writers never get published. While I have no doubt that I will be published one day, I don’t let my daydreams interfere with reality.

7. Create a simple plan

The emphasis here is on the word simple. Obviously you need to know where you’re going and what steps to take, but don’t over plan and get lost in the details.

8. Look for progress

Focus on how far you’ve come, not how far you have to go. I look at how much more work I have to do to get an agent, and a publishing deal and I forget that I’ve had short stories published and I’ve written a novel.

9. Live in the moment

As you move toward you dream, the future will call to you, drawing you into the perfect world where all your dreams (or nightmares) have come true and when that occurs, nothing happens in the now. Why bother acting when you already know the result?

If you follow these nine steps, you’ll not only find your dreams, but get started on the journey to completing them.

*****

Author bio:

Are you stuck in a life you don’t enjoy? Have you lost touch with your dreams? Have you *settled* for a daily routine that leaves you longing for a different life?

It’s time for a change.

Alex Fayle, of Someday Syndrome, is a former procrastinator who uses his visionary ability to uncover hidden patterns and help you break the procrastination obstacle so that you can finally find freedom and start living the life you desire.

Learn more about how you can start loving life again at SomedaySyndrome.com.