I had some extra frequent flyer miles on an airline I rarely fly, and they offered to let me convert them into magazine subscriptions. So I signed up for every magazine on the list that I had even the slightest interest in – why not? They’re free.

That’s how I got subscribed to Cruising World, a magazine all about people who live on sailboats long-term.

When I subscribed, I was in a job that required a lot of travel and long hours, so each issue would offer me glimpses of a different way of living. It looked amazing — and also a long way from the way I was living!

Since then, I had this idea that someday I’d sell the house, buy a boat and work from the high seas.

But then I got re-married and had another child, and the day I’d be able to go cruising has never come.

Breaking down your dreams

Though I still think about that dream sometimes, the realities are that my wife has fair skin and the sun is her enemy. I never took sailing lessons or charted a boat to “practice.” This dream is unlikely to come true – maybe I’ll just take a sailing vacation sometime, which could be enough.

But it’s also true that I quit that job so I’d no longer have to travel for business. I’ve intentionally shifted my work to create more autonomy over my work hours and location.

That “dream” pointed me toward things that needed to change in my life, and I made those changes.

What “someday” dreams are you holding onto that, while unlikely to come true, have clues pointing to more minor changes you could be making today?