What you want in life matters. Your dreams are your treasures.
No need to justify or over-explain why you want what you want.
You get to want whatever you want unapologetically.
You get to decide when it’s time to breathe life into those dreams and desires.
Just remember, your brain will try to tell you it’s never the right time to go after something big.
Our brains haven’t evolved much beyond those ancestral imperatives driving us to stay safe and alive.
It’s by design that our brains offer up all kinds of seemingly logical reasons to protect us. To stop us from running headlong into danger.
Our brains are relentlessly focus on our main job and don’t want anything going wrong to derail us from our destiny. Procreation and child rearing are the meat and potatoes of our existence. The continuation of our species relies on our ability to detect danger and respond accordingly.
That’s frustrating! We’ve got 21st century dreams and desires just waiting to come to life.
So, expect your brain to focus on all the dangers and difficulties you may encounter along the way.
Expect a slew of why nots to cast long shadows across your vision.
It’s now your job to reinterpret all that negative thinking as just a sign you have a healthy brain. It’s not a sign to pull back. Think of it instead as GO TIME.
There is no expiration date on your dreams and desires.
While you may have postponed or even shelved them, you can decide at any time to resurrect them.
Maybe they’re buried beneath layers of doubt and uncertainty. Yep. You’ve got some work to do to excavate and dust them off.
But there’s one thing I know for sure: You’re never too old to become what you might have been.
So let’s get going.
What are your deepest dreams and desires?
Perhaps what you want is a certain feeling in your life.
You may want to feel more fun, ease, joy, happiness, gratitude, satisfaction, love, or connection. Deeper intimacy with your husband. Closer to your family. Inspired by your work or professional goals. More excited about your future. More time to devote to your favorite interest, hobbies or pursuits.
Maybe you want to feel less of something. Less anxiety, worry, frustration, anger, pressure, fear or overwhelm.
Perhaps you’re longing for something tangible: marriage/divorce, a new baby, a new home or car, a new job, travel, a remodeled kitchen or bathroom, new furniture or a redecorated room, clothes or jewelry.
Maybe you’re longing for less: fewer possessions, less clutter, fewer demands and responsibilities, Marie Kondo-ing your whole life!
And in these fraught days of the COVID-19 pandemic, just the physical freedom to venture out in the world and engage with other human beings sounds like a dream come true to so many of us.
During these months of staying home for our own safety, so many of us yearn for the return of simple pleasures: socializing with friends in person, working among our colleagues, dining out, parties, celebrations of milestone events, travel and vacations.
Although public health restrictions have delayed our ability to answer some very real and urgent dreams and desires, many are still within reach.
Heartfelt dreams and desires have a way of calling out to you until you listen.
These are the deepest desires that don’t dissipate over time. They may even grow louder and more insistent the longer they are ignored.
It’s no surprise that you may find yourself engaging in all sorts of distractions to mask those desires.
Perhaps you try to distract yourself or silence your dreams and desires by over-indulging in things like food, alcohol, drugs, pornography, sex, shopping, digital media, gambling, TV and video games, even over sleeping.
These distractions only delay your ability to go after your dreams and desires. They prolong the state of tension between what you want and what you do instead. Rarely do they extinguish them.
It’s only when you allow yourself to think about your dreams and desires without judgment or fear that you can open the door to their realization.
Once you are ready to identify your dreams and desires, you can ignite the process that fires up the necessary emotions and behaviors you will need to act on them.
Can you identify your top 5 dreams and desires?
Use this prompt to begin: I’ve always wanted to ____________________ (fill in the blank).
For each one, describe how you anticipate you will feel once you’ve achieved it.
Which ones do you think you can still accomplish, even though you still have to deal with the reality of COVID-19 imposed limitations and restrictions?
How can you go after them even partially now and continue on once we can enjoy more freedoms?
Be willing to come face to face with all your self-doubt and insecurities.
This willingness is necessary because once you have identified your most important dreams and desires, you will run headlong into self-doubt and the insecurity that you don’t have what it takes to go get it.
It’s ironic, but the flip side of the dreams and desires coin is that the more you honor and pay attention to them, the more doubt and concern you’re going to have.
Don’t use those concerns as a reason not to try or to give up.
Now it’s up to you to over-ride your negative default thinking.
It’s time to create and practice new thoughts that will support your efforts.
You will never regret going after your dreams and desires and believing in your ability to make them reality.
In order to live a life without the regret of unrealized dreams, push yourself beyond any self-imposed limitations.
Allow yourself to experience the negative emotions that surface when you break through the known into unknown territory.
Congratulate yourself for having the courage to persevere.
Create a legacy defined by a life well-lived, rich with deep purpose and meaning.
What dreams and desires do you hold most dear?
I’m here to help you to work on achieving your heartfelt dreams and desires.
Let’s explore how to make them your reality.
You don’t need to waste one more day in doubt or regret.
You were born to make your dreams come true so you can feel confident you have lived your best life.
If you think a loved one, friend or colleague needs to hear this message, please share.
