When aspiring writers in their early 20s or younger ask me for advice, I tell them to set goals and think long term.  "It often takes many years of dedicated effort to become a good writer," I say.  "You may not achieve your major goals until you're 40, but it'll be worth it."

I immediately see the disappointment on their faces.  "Forty?  Oh my goodness.  I could be dead by then.  And if I'm still alive, I'll be too old to enjoy anything."

They want to achieve their dreams quickly.  They want me to say something like this: "Study the dictionary for an hour, then begin writing your 500-page masterpiece.  Write about whatever comes to your mind, besides Anna Kournikova.  Complete your manuscript in a month and sell it to the first publishing company that offers you $5 million.  Pose for the cover of Time magazine and the centerfold of The New Yorker.  Spend the rest of your life signing autographs and eating caviar with Salman Rushdie."

If only life were that simple.  All of us would have achieved our dreams, whether they're small dreams such as owning a car, modest dreams such as owning a house, or grand dreams such as owning a politician.

People dream of all kinds of things: money, fame, prestige, power, health, love, tattoos.

Some dreams, of course, are unattainable.  No matter how much I practice tennis, I'll never be able to win Wimbledon, unless I can compete in a special division called "humor columnists, retired bus drivers, English monarchs."  I'm willing to spot Queen Elizabeth five games in every set.  As long as I don't have to bow every time she passes me.

Other dreams may seem out of reach, but can be attained through long-term effort.  Victoria Beckham, for example, had to sing with the Spice Girls for several years before attaining her ultimate dream of marrying a soccer star.

Whatever our dreams, we need to work hard over a long period to achieve them, unless we're lucky, extremely talented or related to George Bush.

Consider yourself lucky if one of the following is true:

1. Your father drives a Mercedes and isn't the chauffeur
2. Your name appears on Bill Gates' will 
3. You won $20 million in the lottery and don't have 20 siblings
4. You're the second heir to the throne of Nepal and the first heir has gone nuts

1. As a baby, your first words were "Hey, can I get some chocolate syrup in this breast milk?" 
2. You can name every single one of Elizabeth Taylor's ex-husbands
3. When you feel like relaxing, you play chess
4. You can produce music from three different parts of your body

It doesn't matter what you want to do -- if you do it hard enough and long enough, you'll get better at it.  Just ask Mike Tyson.  A decade ago, the former boxing champion had an ordinary vocabulary, but through dedicated effort, he now spouts words like "propinquity" and "contumacious."  He's the envy of other boxers, who wish they knew words to confuse the media, too.

The same formula can work for you.  You just have to keep working, keep striving.  It may take years, but it'll be worth it.  Depending on your dream, of course.

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