Your Ideal Day: How To Make It A Reality

How about taking a minute to dream. Giving yourself some time and space just for you to dream and think about your ideal day.

You could go for a walk or write in a journal, or just sit in a comfy chair and wonder. Picture your ideal day. 

Open yourself to believe anything is possible in this ideal day. Don’t get stuck in what you are supposed to want. Don’t limit yourself to what you could make happen. 

Think through the day, beginning to end. Where and how would you wake up? How would you spend the morning? The afternoon? The evening? Who would you be with? 

You might envision a day you’ve actually lived or a mashup of parts of days you’ve lived and loved. Maybe it has similarities to your current days — or maybe it’s in deep contrast to them. Maybe it is something vastly different from your daily life that you long for. Let yourself picture it. 

Really put yourself in your ideal day. Include the smells and the sounds, what you’d see and taste. How do you feel on this day? Relaxed? Exhilarated? Awed? Loved? Can you feel that day? 

What Is It You Really Want?

Maybe you look at your ideal day and see how, with a little planning and support, you could make it happen. Maybe that’s how you spend your next birthday or the next free Saturday. 

Quite likely, though, some or all of it may feel impossible. But before you give up, let’s look at what your ideal day has to show you about your desires and values. 

If your ideal day took place at Yosemite, maybe you crave more time in nature or time unplugged or more awe or adventure. 

If your ideal day was spent alone writing and sipping a latte in a cafe, maybe you’re looking for more sustained creative time or solitude, or simply to slow down. Maybe you realize the cafe was one you used to hang out at twenty years ago, and you want to re-engage some part of your younger self. 

Your ideal day is full of clues about what you want in your life. 

Know Your Values

When it comes down to it, your ideal day shows a lot about your values. What values do you recognize in your ideal life? 

Not sure? Check out this values list. Cross out values that don’t resonate. See if you can narrow it down to 5 that feel true to you and that you see in your ideal day. 

What does each value mean to you? We all understand concepts differently. For me, nature as a value might mean hiking every day or walking the beach, while for you it might mean time on the patio or in the yard, or volunteering to restore habitat near where you live.

Family for me might mean spending time with my husband and kids. For you, the most important thing might be showing up when a chosen group of people need you. You get to define your values. And understanding what you mean about a given value can help you live your values more deeply. 

Pick one value that resonates for you. Then ask yourself: 

• How does this value already show up in my life? 
• How could I live this value more? Can you bring more time or energy or even money to this value? 
• What can I do today that aligns with this value? 

That last question is part of the way of weaving your ideal day into every day. When you weave in things that get at what you value and you really want, each day starts to feel more ideal. 

If you want to go deeper into creating a life you love every day, not an ideal life, but a real one that you love even when it’s messy, check out The Everyday Experience. Gain clarity on what truly lights you up and brings you joy — and get past “but I can’t do that” thinking. You’ll end up with space for the things that you really love and bring meaning to your days.

To YOUR Ideal Day!

3 Steps to Having a Meaningful Life You Love

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