How to Achieve Your Dreams—Even If You Feel Stuck

I’m sitting here in my cramped Chicago apartment, trying to figure out how to achieve my dreams while staring at a pile of unwashed dishes and a laptop screen that’s been open to the same half-written novel for weeks. It’s 1:31 PM, the radiator’s clanking like it’s auditioning for a horror movie, and I’m sipping coffee that’s gone cold in a mug that says “Dream Big” in chipped letters. Honestly, I feel stuck—like, super stuck. You ever get that feeling where your dreams are out there, big and shiny, but you’re just… frozen? Like your feet are glued to the floor of your own life? Yeah, that’s me right now, but I’m learning how to get unstuck, and I’m gonna spill my messy, real-deal thoughts on how to chase your dreams, even when you feel like you’re drowning in quicksand.

Why Feeling Stuck Sucks (But It’s Normal)

Let’s be real: feeling stuck is the worst. It’s like you’re scrolling through Instagram, seeing everyone else living their best lives—starting businesses, traveling to Bali, or whatever—and you’re just… here. Turns out, feeling stuck is normal—it’s your brain’s way of saying, “Yo, we need a plan to achieve your dreams, not just vibes.”

• It’s not just you: Studies from places like Psychology Today show most people hit a wall when chasing big goals. It’s biology, not failure.
• The trap: You compare yourself to others, and suddenly your dreams feel impossible.
• The fix: Start small. Like, stupid small. More on that later.

• Type of Image: An impressionistic digital painting of a coffee shop table, with a crumpled napkin covered in doodles. The Chicago street outside is blurry through a rain-streaked window, and a tiny firefly glows, like a spark of hope. It’s me, sitting there, dreaming but doubting.
• Descriptive Caption: My napkin doodles from that Wicker Park coffee shop, where I was stuck but still trying to dream big.

My Big, Embarrassing Fail at Chasing Dreams

Okay, here’s a cringey story. Last year, I decided I was gonna “achieve my dreams” by becoming a full-time writer. I quit my soul-sucking retail job at this store in Lincoln Park—where I once spilled an entire tray of candles on a customer’s dog, no lie—and went all in. I had this vision of me sipping coffee in a loft, typing bestselling novels. Spoiler: it didn’t happen. I ran out of money in, like, three months, and I had to beg for my job back. The manager laughed in my face, and I cried in my car in the parking lot, surrounded by the smell of old Taco Bell wrappers. That failure taught me something, though: chasing your dreams isn’t about big, dramatic leaps. It’s about tiny, messy steps, and you gotta be okay with screwing up.

How I Got Unstuck (Kinda)

Here’s what I’ve learned about getting unstuck, and trust me, it’s not from some self-help guru—it’s from me falling on my face. To achieve your dreams, you gotta break it down:

• Figure out what “stuck” means: For me, it was fear of failing again. I was so scared of another candle-dog disaster that I stopped writing. Journaling helped me name that fear. Try it—grab a notebook and just word-vomit your thoughts.
• Set stupid-small goals: I started writing 100 words a day. Sounds pathetic, but it added up. Now I’m at 20,000 words on my novel. Not bragging—it’s still a mess, but it’s my mess.
• Find your people: I joined a writing group on Meetup, and yeah, some of them are weird, but they keep me accountable.

• Type of Image: A vintage-inspired Polaroid vibe of my notebook, ink smudged from my leaky pen, with a doodled rocket ship that screams, “I’m trying to achieve my dreams, okay?” It’s my kitchen table in Chicago, with crumbs and all.
• Descriptive Caption: My notebook, where I scribble my dreams and try not to spill coffee on them (again).

Mistakes I Made (So You Don’t Have To)

I’ve made so many dumb mistakes trying to pursue my passions. Like, I once spent $200 on a “writing course” from some sketchy website that was basically just a PDF of generic advice. Total scam. Or the time I stayed up all night watching TED Talks about “finding your purpose,” only to oversleep and miss a deadline. Here’s what I wish I knew:

1. Stop waiting for perfection: Your dreams don’t need a perfect plan. My novel’s first chapter is garbage, but I kept going.
2. Don’t go it alone: I used to think I had to achieve my dreams solo. Nope. Friends, mentors, even random Reddit threads on r/GetMotivated can help.
3. Celebrate the small wins: Finishing 100 words feels lame, but it’s something. I literally high-fived myself in my apartment last week. My neighbor probably thinks I’m nuts.

• Type of Image: A photorealistic shot of my laptop, open to my novel with a million typos, in my chaotic Chicago apartment. The fairy lights are tangled, and a paper airplane is caught in them, like my dreams—messy but still flying.
• Descriptive Caption: My laptop, where I’m slowly figuring out how to achieve my dreams, one typo at a time.

Wrapping Up This Chaotic Chat

Look, I’m still figuring out how to achieve my dreams, and I’m not some success story. My apartment smells like burnt toast right now, and I’m pretty sure I forgot to pay my electric bill. But I’m writing this blog, and that’s something. If you’re feeling stuck, just start somewhere—anywhere. Write a sentence, make a call, doodle a star on a napkin. And if you wanna chat about it, hit me up in the comments or on X. Seriously, what’s one tiny step you can take today to chase your dreams? Let’s talk.