I love the Olympics. Amazing people from all over the world converge to do amazing things. Things that most of us haven’t even dreamed of. But those athletes did. And that is the main reason they are in Pyeongchang.

Their dreams were so important that they set aside hours a day to train. They gave up everyday comforts. In an interview, Adam Rippon, from the men’s figure skating team, talked about living on apples he snuck from the gym, because he didn’t have enough money for groceries. Yet their dreams were so important the sacrifice was worth it.

You may not have your eyes on an Olympic medal, but some of your goals can be just as daunting. Having the financial security to one day leave your job and not worry about money is likely one of them. That goal requires many of the same disciplines as an Olympic dream.

First you must define your goal. Olympic athletes don’t get to there by wanting to be Olympians. They get there by wanting to be the best at short track speed skating, or half pipe snowboarding or cross country skiing. You must define your retirement goal in terms of how you want to live when you stop working for pay.

That can be a tall order. Who knows how you’ll want to live decades in the future. Some may have a vision of it, but if you don’t, how you live today may be a good starting place. From that you can get an estimate of how much money you need to fund your lifestyle. Fortunately there are many free resources on-line to help you do the math. The following are a few you can try.

Bankrate Retirement Calculator

Nerdwallet Retirement Calculator

CalcXML Retirement Calculator

Next you need a strategy. Athletes have training and diet regimens. Similarly, you need to decide what you will do so you can save for the future. Where is the money for savings going to come from?

For some, simply taking the money out of the picture, through an automated savings program like your company retirement savings plan, is all that’s needed. Others may have to figure out how to free up some money first so it can be saved. Creating a spending plan, otherwise known as a budget, will help you sort out what you value and what you don’t in your current spending. Goals have a way of shining a light on your trade offs.

Then you need to practice and monitor your progress. Olympic athletes only get where they are through practicing their skills. They enter competitions to see how they are progressing toward their goals. They compare their performance to other athletes in the same field to learn what they need to improve to be better than them.

You also need to practice and measure your progress. Decisions you make every day will help you stay on your spending plan. Checking your actual spending relative to your plan and regularly reviewing your balance against shorter term savings goals will allow you to make adjustments so you can improve your progress.

You don’t have to do it alone. Olympic athletes usually have a family that supports their dreams and a good coach. Get help with achieving your goal. Make sure your family is on board with saving for your future, and enlist the help of a financial planner if you are not making the progress you want. To find a Certified Financial Planner in your area search letsmakeaplan.org.

Big goals are daunting. Your future financial security is no less of an endeavor than pursuing an Olympic medal, and the path to success is the same. You have to know what you want, develop a strategy for achieving it, practice your skills, monitor your progress and get help when you need it. It takes a long time, so the earlier you begin the better off you are. Decide today to begin pursuing your own dream.

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