When was the last time you sat and daydreamed? Allowing your subconscious + heart to take the reins for a bit?
Dreaming is not a waste of time. Dreaming can be highly effective. Dreaming BIG is greatly important.
Our mind is extremely powerful. Our thoughts can help us to create or destroy our reality. When our mind pairs with the wisdom of our heart, we can accomplish unimaginable things. As Oprah Winfrey states so well, “Create the highest, grandest vision possible for your life, because you become what you believe.”
What does your dream life look like? What are you doing? Where are you? Who are you with? What are you eating? How do you feel? Write it out in detail. Don’t think or judge, just write.
Now look at this vision and break it down. Create a few SMART goals for yourself.
SMART goals are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic + time sensitive goals. The more specific we can be with our goals, the better the outcome. As we know with this pandemic, the timeline might not be linear – and that is OK. Staying focused on the goal while being open to the process + trusting of the journey, is essential. Be compassionate + patient with yourself in the process. Every step towards reaching your goals – whether big or small – matters.
Now, what are 5 goals you’d like to accomplish in 10 years? In 5 years? In 1 year?
Now get super specific. What are 3 actionable steps you can take starting today, to help you reach your 1 year goals? Develop your strategy. Write it out and tape to a wall or mirror – some where you will see it.
As Glennon Doyle writes, “Let’s conjure up from the depth of our souls: the truest, most beautiful lives we can imagine. The truest, most beautiful families we can fathom. The truest, most beautiful world we can hope for. Let’s put it all on paper. Let’s look at what we’ve written and decide that these are not pipe dreams; these are our marching orders… May our dreams become our plans.”
Seeing our goals + dreams written out or in picture form, hold power. It helps to keep us on track, helping our dreams + goals to become real life.
If writing out goals doesn’t interest you, consider creating a vision board for each of the timeframes listed above. Vision boards are an awesome way to get clear on your goals + dreams. They can be created online in Pinterest, or with Bristol board, pictures, magazines etc. Get creative. The more creative you can be, the better!
Thought I’d share a little story with you…
I remember the day I started to really map out goals for my life. It was 2014. I was sitting in my doctor’s office navigating + trying to figure out a bunch of unidentified health issues. As we were chatting, my doctor asked me if I had goals written down – something to help give me a focus, since I felt quite lost with my career path at the time.
Creating my dream life seemed daunting, so I started with listing a few goals for 1 year + 5 years. I looked back at my 1 year goals a year later, in 2015, and realized I totally rocked them. I then wrote out goals to accomplish the next year. I met them to a tee. I didn’t obsess over them, but I certainly referenced them a few times each year. Seeing them written down helped keep me committed + motivated.
When I reviewed the 5 year goals last year, I noticed I accomplished many of them but not all, as many of my interests changed… as well as my career. Allowing goals to evolve or change completely is very important. Nothing is fixed, so being fluid + adaptable with your goals helps to make reaching them more enjoyable.
When I look at spring 2019 + the goals I wanted to meet within a year, it’s quite incredible to recognize all accomplished in 2019 and 2020… with massive life changes in the process (death in my family, major broken bones + surgery and a global pandemic). My Mindfulness practices (like meditation + yoga) have played a major role in me navigating vast changes and reaching my goals with grace + clarity + sanity.
Patience + trust, courage + commitment + consistency + curiosity + compassion, have also been paramount to me reaching my goals and making my dream life, my reality.
I’ve learned that how I speak with myself is everything. My relationship with myself is everything. Self-love is everything.
I invite you to reflect on the past few years: what some accomplishments you are proud of? Looking ahead, is there anything holding you back from reaching your dream life?
If you’re feeling overwhelmed with the process of creating goals and setting actionable steps, I’m happy to help. Creating our dream life can be quite daunting, so sometimes having a detached perspective is very useful. As a coach, I can help you to:
- define clear and attainable goals, timelines and actionable steps to get you closer to the life you desire
- discuss and address current life concerns in relation to meeting your end goals – identifying where you might be “stuck” and potential next steps
- focus on being more embodied through personalized, guided yoga + meditation practices to help you be more present in all aspects of your life.
Remember: Dreaming is not a waste of time. Dreaming can be highly effective. Dreaming BIG is greatly important. When our mind pairs with the wisdom of our heart, we can accomplish unimaginable things.
What are you waiting for?