Dream Discovery: Start Where You Are

Since I started my blog, many of my posts have been aimed at readers that have defined what they want to achieve and may need a little inspiration and insight to get them moving.  I have posted inspirational links, dreamer highlights, and general motivational tips for when things feel slow-going.  And while I think that information is beneficial , I realized this week that I hadn’t really touched on how to find your dream.  So, today I want to take a step back and start at the beginning with some tips to help you define your dream.

People who have yet to define their dreams generally fall into two categories.  There are those that deep down know what they want to achieve, but have written it off as impossible and unrealistic, and others who have been so focused on simply surviving life, that they haven’t taken time out to allow themselves to want anything more than they truly need.

If you fall into the first category or as I like to call them the ” Reality Seekers”, you have probably thought of several things you wanted to do in your life, but there is a little voice telling you that for some reason or another it is unachievable.  You have a long list of reasons why it could never happen, yet there is still an underlying urge to do it.  Maybe you want to perform in a Broadway show, but the idea of doing it seems so “out there” that you can’t even imagine how it might happen, so you have resolved the situation by only dreaming the achievable dream.

My advice for you: Start where you are.  Visualize a life where you can have, be, or do anything under the sun.  Imagine you have a magic wand and can grant your ultimate dream wish.  What would that look like?  How would it feel?  Is it a dream career?  A once in a lifetime experience?  Would you travel the world?

You don’t have to have just a singular dream.  In fact the more you have the better.  The key is to get you to think beyond what you deem is reality and get into the magical realm of ultimate possibilities.  Is it still hard for you to get out of that reality box?  Try thinking of all the things in your past that really got your fire going.  The things that made you light up and made your soul sing.  For me, it was dancing, creating, and working with people.  Helping others to achieve their goals and celebrating with them when they learned something new.

The key for the “Reality Seekers”, is to move you more into a space of imagination and possibility.  Think magic.  Think ultimate possibility.  Imagine a life full of free-flowing energy, freedom to do what you want, and a life full of fun and passion.  Don’t worry about how you will achieve it, just milk it for all the inspiration that you can.  You will be amazed at what you come up with and you might find your dream was there all along.

The second group is a group I like to call the “Survivors”.  They have been living a life just making it through the next day.  Working, paying bills, taking care of every day necessities without ever really thinking about a thriving life.  They often believe what they are experiencing in life is all there is and when asked what is their dream, they have absolutely no idea.

If you fall into this category never fear, there are plenty of things to do to get your inspiration and dream discovery process going.  Understand that the life you have lived up to now has served you as it needed to, but the fact that you are looking forward toward a thriving, passionate, and wonderfully happy life is a step in the right direction.

Don’t know where to start?  Start where you are.  Look back at where you have been and use it as information for your future.  While you may have been more focused on surviving, chances are you had moments of daydreaming and thinking “if only….happened, I could finally be happy.”  Can you tap into what those things were?  Maybe they weren’t specific dreams, but it will get you moving in the right direction.

If that doesn’t work, try making a list of descriptive words that you want for your future.  Words like abundant, happy, free-flowing, freedom, ease etc. can begin to move you away from the “survivor” mindset into a more peaceful and inspirational state of being.  As your mind ponders the various feelings you want in your future, you may begin seeing specific situations, careers, opportunities that create those feelings.  If so, write them down and don’t discount anything.

You are beginning a journey into the unknown.  A space that you haven’t often ventured into and it may seem foreign at first, but no matter what keep going.  Keep thinking, imagining, visualizing, and feeling what your dream future feels like.  You might also want to do some research about various careers that offer those same feelings.  Maybe you want to look at dream vacations, read inspirational stories, or watch programs of other survivor’s reaching their goals.  You might even find it beneficial to work with a dream (or life) coach to help you through your process.  (Of course I would love to work with you if you are interested in some one-on-one coaching.  If so, please feel free to contact me and we can chat about how I can assist you.)

No matter where you find yourself in the dream discovery phase, the most important thing to remember is to start where you are.  Whether you are taking baby steps or flying leaps to your dreams, you will get there when the time is right for you.  Everyone’s journey is different so don’t feel like you have to be as fast or as slow as someone else.  Enjoy the ride because as you move into the space of your imagination and inspiration there is so much to enjoy!