The Four Phases of Wisdom: Turn Dreams into Reality

This is where you first get the idea. It's fresh. It's inspired. It's all perfectly possible.

Hold fast to this moment. Enjoy the feeling because this sensation rarely comes back with such intensity.

It's the time when a novel – or any big project - seems more than doable. So easy, in fact, your outcome feels like it already exists! It's the time when, despite all outward appearances or reality, absolutely anything is possible.

Use this first phase to dream - and dream big. See yourself in the position of power and success that your inspiration has brought you.

Generate the dream - live the reality for a while. Visualize your dream as real. Make it vivid, colorful and solid before the feeling fades. The stronger the image at this point the more forceful the motivation that follows.

Now that you know what you want, you must gather all the facts on how you're going to achieve your goal.

Don't overwhelm yourself. Don't be too selective, or get too specific and detail obsessed. You need to understand how everything works before you drill down.

Read up on the subject in a non-critical way. Study the environment, liaise with its members and proponents. You don't want to know all the pros and cons yet - that's for later.

At this stage, you want the broad strokes. You want the overview.

After all, when you're sure that anything's possible, you don't want to be put off. Use this study period to place your goal into the context of reality. Your reality.

At this stage, you should still be enthused by your dream - beginning to see your vision coming into existence.

It's the fun part - where inspiration meets intention.

Now it's time to go deeper.

Here at this point, it's okay to dwell on what's not going to work - and why your idea is terrible. It's important this is the third phase - and doesn't take place too early in the process.

People who never get anything done dwell on the negatives too soon - before the dream has had time to blossom.

This can be a tough time - when you realize just how high you will have to climb, how far you will have to travel from your current position, just how much work this will involve.

It's the time when you work out the personal cost this task will take to achieve. But it's important you take all this information in. It's the reality check - the final stamp of approval from your logical, rational side.

You may find out that some things are not doable. But that's okay. Focus on what you can achieve - the baby steps, the structure of your plan, the first push into physical construction.

At the end of this phase, you're finally ready to progress.