When you’re chasing your dreams, the only thing you want to hear is secrets on how you can reach them. You’re looking for an expert or a genie in a bottle who can tell you, “This is how you can get to your dreams. I promise it will work.”

Here’s the thing: That doesn’t exist. Every person is different, and every dream is different. While you can’t rub a genie’s lamp and have your dreams appear in front of you, you can practice having these five things in your life to make reaching them more manageable. 

1. Believe in Yourself 

If you don’t believe in you, how will anyone else? It’s hard to overcome self-doubt, but once you do, you’ll be succeeding in ways you never imagined possible. Take some time every day to instill a sense of belief in yourself—you’ll be surprised at how quickly it starts working! A straightforward way to do this is to track all the small gains you make towards your goal each day. Looking back at that daily reminds you that you are making progress.

2. New Perspective on Failure

Failure is a good thing. Yep, you read that right. There’s nothing wrong with failure because it is 100% a learning opportunity. When you fail, you learn how to do better, how to persevere, and how to work harder to get to the place where you want to be. 

3. Vision for Yourself 

If you don’t know which way you’re going, how will you get there? Come up with a game plan for yourself, and make sure it’s specific. Don’t just say, “I hope I can get a promotion.” Say, “I will take these steps over the next 4 months to get the promotion I want and deserve.” Practice saying that affirmation whenever self-doubt starts to bubble up. 

4. Understanding of Your Strengths and Weaknesses

Sometimes, you need to delegate. Other times, you need to take the talking stick and run the meeting. If you want to make it big, you need to know what you’re good at—and what you’re not so great at. We all have strengths and weaknesses, so there’s nothing to be ashamed of. Be honest with yourself and make a list. Then work on using your strengths more often and practice ways of improving your weaknesses, if that’s a smart investment in your big dream. 

5. Perseverance

The most important thing is never to give up. Don’t lose sight of your “why,” and don’t let anyone get in the way of your ambitions. You’re here for a reason—stick to that reason and don’t stop until you’ve achieved your big dreams. It will be worth it in the end!