Back by popular demand! Today’s guest post is the second guest post from my husband Adrian (my own personal guru!) 
I have sometimes read advice in blog posts, stating that it's ok to just be a dreamer and by being positive everything will come to you. If only it were that easy! I have even read that there's no need to be realistic! Now, I am a practical person so this sort of flys in the face of how I am. I think being realistic, or realism, is actually a positive attitude. It actually makes dreams possible or 'real'.
I once read a book years ago that has always stuck with me. In fact it wasn't a book as much as a few pages booklet. In this booklet it had a simple message - in order to achieve something or succeed, one must be prepared to do anything in order to achieve it. This made sense. To achieve something there can often be hurdles in the way. To get to the goal, these hurdles must be ovecome, so in other words, one must be prepared to get over every hurdle. If any of the hurdles look like something you don't want to approach, then you don't want to achieve that success as much as you thought. It often happens that many hurdles that you imagined would exist would not actually occur, but it's being prepared to take them on, if they do, that is important.
Now I don't think getting over these hurdles can be done by dreaming it's possible or just having a positve attitude, it takes more than that. I come from a very large family, and when I was young there was not a lot of money to go round. I had to wear hand-me-down clothes from my older brothers and sisters. Even from a young age I used to care about how I looked, so I found this very hard. I used to dream about being able to wear fashionable clothes like my friends. I soon realised that dreaming about them would not changing anything and my being positive on it's own would not make the circumstances change. I looked at it realistically. If I wanted fashionable clothes I would have to find the cash myself to buy them. So I did. I delivered papers, dug gardens, washed cars, sold blackberries etc etc in order to make my dream a reality. Being realistic helped me to turn my dream into something real. For this situation the hurdle was money. I wanted to succeed enough that I found a way to overcome that hurdle. I recognised that it was a dream that I really wanted to achieve. Now obviously staying positve played it's part, but much more importantly it was the fact that I didn't stay in the realms of dreams, I identified what it was I wanted to achieve, I stayed focussed, I overcome the hurdles, and I reached success.
...And I looked as cool as a cucumber in my new clothes
This is the way I live my life, and it has worked for me. So, if you have a dream, look at it realistically, is it something you really want to achieve? Look at the hurdles, still want it enough to overcome them? Then go for it! 
Jen, a very inspirational post. If anybody needs evidence of turning dreams into reality, then this is the post to read. Dreams are wonderful things for helping you identify what you want, however to achieve those dreams, action is needed.
Thank you for sharing this.
Regards
Paul
Paul´s last blog ..Self Esteem
All things are created twice, first in the mind, second in reality. Most of us are stuck with the first creation, we don't have the courage and will to put it into reality. Dreams will just be an illusion, until we make it real.
Walter´s last blog ..Love eternal
Hi Paul,
I am glad you enjoyed Adrian's post - I loved the example he used ... as you say dreams are great, but even greater when coupled with action!
Thanks for dropping in.
Jen
Well said Walter! That was a great synopsis!
Jen
Hi Adrian,
I'm very happy to see you writing here again!
I love your post and SO agree with it. There's a real movement out there that says dream it and it will happen. But that's certainly not been my experience. I did go through a couple of years where I was doing more so-called "spiritual" stuff where I was being almost scolded for being so "of the world" and advised to sit back, balance my energies and that that would allow people to magically find me. Well, I tried it, and they didn't!! Despite the fact I felt wonderful...!!
My experience, like yours, is that if you want something, you have to engage your own energy in order for it to appear. Now I think that doing so is a sign to the universe that you are serious about your dreams, and that you will be supported, no matter what hurdles get in the way.
Take care for now.
Christine Livingston´s last blog ..How New Work Pioneers use redundancy, burn-out, breakdown and loss of meaning as catalysts for transformation
Hey Adrian and Jen,
amazing post, truely inspiring. I have spent my life dreaming and some of them have turned into a reality, I really am dreaming big at the moment, big plans, big dreams.
I have always thought if you think positive things, only positive things can happen.
You two are a power house combo in terms of your writing skills!
TheInfoPreneur´s last blog ..I Rank Higher Than ProBloggers, But Make No Money
Hi Christine
Great to have him back here.
It's great isn't it!
Action is essential. I love motivational and inspirational type things, but I have to make sure I balance this with action and doing what is needed to achieve something...sometimes I think we can hoodwink ourselves into thinking this is work, whereas it is only part of the equation. As you did Christine, we need to learn from our own experiences and trust what is right for us.
I am really glad you enjoyed Adrian's post James!
It's awesome to hear about your plans and also to watch your site and plans grow so exponentially! Love your attitude! and thank you for the compliments, they are really appreciated.
Jen:
Like Ian Botham, the legendary all-rounder, Adrian is ready and willing for a second innings and up to the challenge of this blogging sport!
I wasn't really aware about your formative years, Adrian, but you sure figured out a way to survive. Coming from a disadvantaged background did not prevent you from earning your own money and buying the necessaries of life. It is a story of quiet inspiration from a good story-teller. Please keep on writing and contributing posts for us.
Ha ha! Love the analogy Archan! Adrian is awesome at being proactive and taking action and slowly but surely making things happen (he is a good balance for me, when I am away with the fairies at times! lol!
)
also I am committed to spurring you on (I saw a comment of Henri's the other night about how you write such awesome comments ... you really do ... would be a definite subscriber for your blog! 
)
I am glad you enjoyed this post and it's so great that you are spurring Adrian on too!
Yeah, right, Jen, like I am ever gonna start a blog of my own. Ugh!
I feel like I have so many hated mother-in-laws because everybody I know on-line seems to be desperate to get me to start my own blog.
Lemme put it this way: there are type A personalities who achieve things, and there are type Z personalities like me who live in an attic (within the bowels of their grandma's home). Get the picture?
I can't even drag my lazy bee-hind out of bed in the morning, turn over, and hit the hay once again. Hey, I ain't no sleeping beauty--I am an ugly moron-- but I love to doze away to glory anyway. You and the others may just as well get "high" on all the false hopes you harbor about me. Get real, folks. It ain't gonna happen anytime soon, ya know?
What are you folks smoking anyway? Gimme some. Maybe it will help me to start a blog. If not, I am happy leaving comments and being nagged. Why you holier-than-thou, hail-to-the-chiefs are the sorta people that drive me crazy sometimes, but I love to read your blogs anyway. Have a good one, folks, and just be happy I ain't using no cuss words in a public forum. And don't ever never accuse me of being brilliant again!
Wow Archan! I don't really know what to say other than what goes around comes around ... I say that because your comments and interactions are always so encouraging and give me a lift .. and that's what you're getting back from me to you (whether you like it not my friend!
) I don't want to be a hated mother in law 
so I'll leave the blog topic to one side but maybe it's time to listen to how others see you (we can't all be wrong can we?) rather than the disempowering voice inside that tells you you're no good... blah blah blah! We all have those kinds of thoughts at times ... I definitely have, but the thing we do have a choice over, is whether we listen to them or not.
Well, howdy Jen:
Heck, you missed my point entirely. You took my words seriously, whereas I was merely being facetious. You should know me better by now, old friend. I thought my sense of humor would make you laugh but....
You see, I grew up reading mad magazine, PG Wodehouse and watching Saturday Night Live, so I am not a very serious person by nature at all.
I joke around all the time and laugh and smile. Now, go over my earlier post and read it in a new light. And you'll see what I mean (smiley face).
Wowsers Archan! Got my smiley face on now you crazy cat!
sometimes hard to get the real meanings online ... so now that's sorted then there's something I need to say .... you're BRILLIANT! 
This was the perfect post to end my night on! Just before I head off to bed for some dreaming...
Adrian is very right in saying that if we aren't motivated to climb over certain hurdles, that's a good indication that we don't fully want what we're chasing after. And then we can stop where we are and move on to a different goal that we might want even more.
Good night all!
Earl´s last blog ..Slovakia: Mud, Salt and Nudity at the Piestany Spa
good job
Hi Earl!
I hope you had good dreams ...
Yep, it's a good test to see how much we want something isn't it?
Thanks for stopping by.
Jen
Glad you enjoyed Adrian's post Farouk!
Yay! Adrian's back!!!!
Great post again.
I love it when people say that if you think about something enough it will happen. Always makes me chuckle. lol
You've always got to be prepared to do anything is you want to be successful
hi jen/adrian,
i loved this post.i can relate to it. lately i've been dreaming of a few things and working towards it not folding my arms lol! i'm beginning to see a few results and i must say the happiness and satisfaction that comes with it is amazing. You cant compare it to the initial excitement derived while dreaming.
do have a lovely weekend.
ayo´s last blog ..Are You Wearing A Disguise
he he! Glad you enjoyed Adrian's new post Ben and absolutely agree with you! Inspiration + action = great results!
writing is passion for me, and dreams? well, I have to find some new ones. Great job.
Hey Ayo!
I can too! Great to hear you are seeing some of your dreams come to fruition.
Hope you're having a lovely weekend too.
Jen
Great that you have found your passion Winnie. Look forward to hearing more about your new dreams.
I agree, a dream is just a dream unless you put it into action. The obstacles I try not to give credit too and or notice, sure they're there but they will block my view if I let them. Obstacles, What obstacles? Nicely said. I relate to the hand me downs.
lees shizzle´s last blog ..Want to See Some Blog Goals... It's Worth a Look See
Hi Lees.
Thanks for dropping in.
I like your approach to obstacles!
Jen