Looking back at the World Cup that finished last week...

Stephen Donald has just lived out his fantasy, and if not his own then certainly that of  thousands of rugby-loving folk. If you missed it, he was the Kiwis fourth-choice stand-off at the start of the tournament and not even worthy of a place at pre-tournament training. On Sunday 23rd October, following injuries to all the three guys ranked ahead of him, he came on for his first World Cup match and scored the points that won the trophy for the All Blacks; not what he envisaged when he was fishing for whitebait on the Waikato River a fortnight ago, ignoring calls from the team management!

Maybe your own fantasies could come true as well. What would be your ultimate miracle come true? What are the chances that it comes to pass? Even Stephen Donald would probably have said 'nil' and laughed at you a month ago. Lets have a look at a few lessons from the World Cup and see what you could be doing differently.

First of all, is it physically possible, and if it's not is there some chance that it becomes feasible one day in your future? Technology moves so fast these days that our children will be able to do things we can't even dream of; its too far-fetched.

Then you need to recognise what it is that you want and make a decision; a decision to follow your dream and turn it into reality. If you never turn in the right direction to focus on your dream, it simply won't happen. Stephen Donald didn't end up at Eden Park by chance - he'd made a decision to devote his life to playing and training for rugby games.

Finally you need to ask if it is within your control or are you trusting to luck (although hopefully not injuries to others)? If your dreams aren't reliant on other people or particular circumstances then go for it and chase them down.

Yes, unforeseen events may get in our way or we might get it a bit wrong and not achieve our ultimate dream. However, people are right when they say, "If you aim for the stars you'll probably get to the moon at least".

What's the first smallest step you could be taking towards fulfilling a long-held fantasy?