Happy New Year!

It’s a new year. But what now? 

I have hope that things externally will change sometime this year, but there are things out of your control and mine that are still affecting our lives. 

What about internally, what about how you choose to live your life each day, even during this hard time? Here you have more control. What are your dreams? What are directions you’d like to explore.

Take a moment to pause and think and feel before you answer. Check in to make sure that you’re not following someone else’s dream, or what society says you should want. Be radically honest with yourself. Just for now dream, don’t worry about how to get there. 

How would it feel to really embrace your dreams? To go in directions that excite, energize and engage you? To believe you can make that happen? 

Find your dreams. Forget “I can’t because…” 

How many times have you had a dream stir you, excite and energize you … only to say, “Oh, I couldn’t do that.” 

I don’t have the time, the money, the knowledge … It’s not responsible, it’s silly… My kids need me. My parents need me. Work is too busy right now… There are lots of reasons, lots of excuses we give ourselves to not go after our dreams. 

If you’re stuck thinking you can’t, think about the dreams you have followed or the goals you have reached. Think about how you did it. 

Did you find a mentor? Invest in learning? Put it first on your schedule? Ask for help? Did you break down your goal and take it one tiny step at a time till you got there? Did you dig into your grit and determination when you had setbacks? 

You’ve made dreams come true before. And you can do it again. 2021 can be a year of dreaming and making the dreams come true … but you have to choose it.

Remember how it feels to make things happen

Think about the last time you made a dream come true or reached a goal. Take the time to really put yourself there. Remember the moment you knew you had done it. Where were you? What were you wearing? Who was with you? Think about smells and sounds, textures and tastes. Really put yourself in that moment. Remember how it felt.

You can use this memory of past goals and dream success to move you forward when you get stuck. 

Choose every day

Every day you can choose actions, even tiny ones that move you forward toward your goals. And if what you have is a dream of the kind of life you’d like to live, choose things daily that give you a piece of that life. Do the things that the person you want to be would do, and soon you will be that person.

If you dream of having your own studio but don’t have the space at home and can’t afford to rent one right now, carve out a corner where you can leave a work in progress. Then give yourself time to work there each day, even if that’s 15 minutes. Choose to make space for your dream.

If you dream of writing a book, commit to writing every day, even if it’s 10 minutes. Do it first thing before you get busy and push it out of the way. Choose to make time for your dream. 

If you dream of having more awe in your life, create a habit of walking outside, looking up at the trees, really being in the moment, breathing deeply. Put your walks on your calendar before you agree to anything else, make that time your sacred time.

What do you dream of? What tiny step can you take towards that dream?

Interested in learning more about the power of your stories to create a life of resilience, connection, and meaning? Check out my Write Into Joy workshops to learn how to build resilience and joy through journaling & reflecting. Click here to see a list of upcoming workshops.

Want to feel more engaged and energized? Get your copy of 3 Steps to a Meaningful Life You Love!

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