The most important components of progress are effort and intention.
Finish lines come too late in the game to be useful measures of progress.
Reaching... Leaning toward... Little beginnings...
At any present moment, progress may feel like the smallest of steps.
Any action combined with effort is an expression of your will. Any physical evidence of your will is enough to jump-start a daydream's progress into reality.
Achievement -- Attainment -- Completion -- Success -- these are most often the inevitable "side effects" of the repetition of the simplest actions.
If you intend to fly, start running.
Image credit h.koppdelaney via Creative Commons on Flickr