When was the last time you gave yourself permission to dream? I mean unapologetic, uncensored, soulful rock-you-to-your cowboy boots dream?
If I was a betting woman, I would put big money on the odds that it’s been a looooooooong time. Oh, I’m sure the reasons are “justified.” You have the real world to contend with, like family needs, grocery lists, career demands, work functions, school functions, taking the dog out…
There is an endless list that takes an egoic pride in giving you permission to ignore the quiet inner voice that is almost drowned out by life’s real and perceived demands.
Almost.
Do you remember when you were a kid and dreams ruled your world? You imagined all things you could do, careers you could conquer, places you would visit, books you would write, art you would create, movies you would act in, medical cures you would discover, planets you would explore, inventions you would create …
Does any of this sound familiar? If you dust the cob webs off the memories, what did you dream about as a child? I want you to channel your inner child as you give yourself permission to spend a little time on your dreams.
The above Thoreau quote is one of my all-time favorite quotes. For years, I read it every day, throughout the day and I used it in my email signature line (which was guaranteed to keep it in front of me all day). I embraced his wisdom and took it to heart.
Thoreau really understood how dreams work: if you want to bring your dream to fruition, you must take action on it every day.
Every single day.
Now, I hear your resistance screaming at you. “Do you have any idea how busy my schedule is? I can’t do the things I HAVE to do, how can I fit in what I WANT to do? There’s no way I can work on this every day.”
Our Dreams Matter
Here’s the deal. First – Our dreams are important. They were planted in us and they are our responsibility to nurture and grow. They are not frivolous or something to disregard for something more important. They are gifts calling to you to honor and breathe life into them. When you ignore them, you ignore and dishonor a part of yourself.
According to Steven Spielberg (from his appearance on John Krasinski’s Some Good News Graduation episode – worth watching!): A real dream is something that hangs on to you and you hang onto it. It powers you through every obstacle that is thrown at you. If we are in service of our dreams rather than the dream being in service to us, it becomes something greater and allows us to get over our fear and go forward no matter what obstacles are thrown in our path.
Give yourself the true gift of life and be in service of your dreams.
Prioritize your Dreams
Second, we all have a choice how we spend our days and our time. If you make your dreams a priority, then you find a way to keep them in front of you every day.
It can be as simple as visualizing your dreams in action for thirty seconds, or researching some aspect of your dream online, or calling someone who is currently doing what you want to do and ask them some questions, or take a class or practice a new skill or…
You get the idea.
Take Daily Action on your Dreams
It doesn’t have to take a lot of time, but it does require commitment and action. If you took one step each day toward your dream, in one year you would have taken 365 steps. What do you think you could accomplish in that time frame with all those steps? IMAGINE the possibilities! (Literally – go ahead, right now, imagine them!!!)
In case your inner child needs a little helping stepping out of grown up mode, here are some Thoreau-approved questions to entice your imagination:
Document Your Daily Action Steps in Your Journal
Final step, create a committed section in your journal that is dedicated to exploring your dreams. Then, take a note or two every single day on the action you took to put your dream into action.
A year from now, when you look back at all the steps you took, you’ll be truly amazed to witness what you accomplished and how far you’ve come. You will have honored yourself, your dream and undoubtedly experienced success unexpected in common hours. Because there is nothing common about you or your dream.
Drop me a note in the comments and tell me about your dream, how you uncovered it and how you are honoring it. I’ll help you nourish it!
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My entire life has been in the pursuit of what stirs my heart, daring to follow it and having the unstoppable conviction to achieve it. Purpose, passion and values aligned to create my path while audacity nudged my courage to help me excel at taking on big change to go after it.
I am here to help you find your way and learn how to confidently use your authentic voice, unlock your potential and courageously build a purposeful life you love!
Carpe Diem!
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