ll of us daydream about the future and the things we'd like to accomplish in life, personally and professionally. Yet how many of us proactively set out to make those dreams our realities?

When was the last time you thought about your specific goals? What do you want for yourself in the near future? What about for a more distant time further down the road? If you haven't written down your long- and short-term goals lately, take an hour or so and really think about what you want out of life or work. Record everything that comes to mind, even if you feel silly or there is a little voice in your head telling you it's impossible.

Next, think about your shorter-term goals. What do you want to accomplish in the next few months, for example? Again, take some time and write these down on a separate sheet of paper. Write down everything that pops into your head. Finally, what's on your to-do list? Look at your task list or appointment book and see what you have coming up over the next couple of weeks.

Now, take those three lists and compare them side-by-side. Is there a relationship between them? In other words, is what you're doing today going to get you to your short-term goals in a month, and your long-term goals in a few years?

For example, if one of your long-term goals is to expand into new territory, do you see items on your other lists that will help you get there? Do you plan to make calls to that territory this week? Are you planning to attend a regional tradeshow and make some new contacts in the next month or two?

What else is on your long-term list? Maybe a promotion? Again, what will you do this week and this month to make that happen? Do you do your best to surpass quotas, rather than only meeting them? Have you written a proposal for your boss to demonstrate how you have increased sales in the last few months?

Some popular long-term goals are to retire early or go into business for yourself. What can you do this week and this month to get you one step closer to those goals? Have you drafted a business plan? Do you compare residual options and determine which will allow you the freedom to give up a steady paycheck?

Once you've determined the relationship between what you're doing now and your goals, re-examine your to-do list. Are there any items listed that you simply don't like to do? Are there any items that you continually put off?

Here's the important question: Do any of the items that you avoid or procrastinate over relate to your long-term goals? If they don't, and completing these tasks won't really get you any closer to reaching your goals, maybe you should take them off the list.

If a task is required for your position or an administrative necessity, obviously you will need to complete it. For example, if you don't complete your timesheet or expense report, you won't get paid. But, if it's not helping you achieve your goals, remove it from your list.

Another example: If a continual to-do list item is to meet with a business club or networking group, and you know that this is not the business you want to target, maybe you can cross this task off the list. With that responsibility gone, you can focus your time on other tasks that will propel you toward your goals.

Now, what if there are items you don't like to do and they do relate to your long-term goals? Think about why they don't appeal to you. This is important because you may have to adjust your goals. If you don't like doing something now, you probably won't enjoy it in the future, either, no matter how well you're compensated.

However, if this distasteful task is integral to you reaching your long-term goals, you may have a problem. You'll want to be certain that after all your hard work, when you've achieved the goals you set, you're rewarded. You'll want to enjoy yourself and revel in your success, not continue to do things you don't really want to do.

So, put everything to the side for a couple of hours and think about your future. Try to avoid the dream sequence and focus on the realistic scenario. Try to picture your future as clearly as you can while you visualize answers to these questions:

• What do you do?
• Where do you live?
• Do you work alone or do you have partners or team members?
• Do you work for someone else or are you self-employed?
• Are you working at all?
• What makes you happy?
• What gives you a sense of fulfillment?
• How do you feel about yourself?
• How do others see you?
• Is it important to you how others feel about you?
• What motivates you?