Dreams are something all of us have. Not just the ones you have at night, but also the ones you have during the day. They also take the form of ideas and goals, plans and resolutions. The latter of these is what we’ll be focusing on, the goals we have for ourselves. These goals are important in defining who we are, what we’ll become, and what our dreams will consist of when we go to sleep each night.

Take a moment and think of a dream that you have. It can be a big one or a small one. Maybe you want to take a trip to a foreign land some day. Maybe you want to go back to school. Maybe you’ve liked someone for a long time and want to tell them. Or maybe you want to eat the national dish in every country. Whatever that dream may be, think about what it is. Once you’ve got one, keep it in your mind.

Now think about what’s stopping you from making that dream happen. Is it money? Fear? Or do you just not know where to begin to make that dream a reality?

We all have dreams, but we also have reasons for not achieving those dreams. Whether your dream is to find love or to get the career of your choice, there’s always the chance that you have something stopping you from achieving your dreams. And when something stops us from making them come true, we say we’ll wait for the opportunity to hit us. We tell ourselves we’ll wait until we can afford to go back to school or to travel the world. We vow not to make our feelings known unless we know they’re reciprocated.

Either way, we all become complacent waiting for the chance to bring our dreams to fruition. We wait and wait, until one day we no longer dream of doing the things we once did. The countries we want to visit and the food we long to try become less interesting, the people we yearn for become less desirable and our career plans get swept under the rug. Sometimes these get replaced with new dreams. Other times we find ourselves so comfortable with where we’re at in life that the idea of trying something new becomes daunting.

Go back to the dream you have, and the reason you have for not achieving it. Whatever that reason may be, set it aside. Save up the money to travel the world. Work up the courage to tell your crush how you really feel. Research different national dishes and find recipes for them (or save up the money to go try them in each country). Do research on job opportunities and what they require, then make a plan to get hired. Find what it takes to make your dreams come true, and make them happen. Even if you end up hating it, you’ll find more enjoyment in doing something than waiting until the opportunity has passed.

To quote Shia Labeouf: Just do it!