Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.—Les Brown
First of all, let me preface by saying that I do not claim to be a business expert by any means.
And because I will always consider myself a life-long learner, I like to think of myself as an entrepreneur-in-training. I can honestly say, this is a title I’m proud to hold.
However, I would be remiss if I didn’t share with you tips based from my own personal experiences.
I read the Forbes 30 Under 30 article when it came out last year and as much as the article inspired me, I had many questions and thoughts.
Why wasn’t I more of a go-getter? I mean, even more so?
Why didn’t I pursue what I wanted to do during any season of my life?
When it comes to my life, why am I not living out my dreams?
Why didn’t I continue making my calendar my boss like I did in college?
Why didn’t I continue writing down my goals?
What was I thinking of wanting to work for someone else instead of being my own boss?
Why did I stop volunteering? I could’ve done it in a way where I wouldn’t be burned out.
Why did I stay working for someone else for over a decade?
I then realized that how I grew up was a huge factor in why I ended up where I am today so it’s okay to be exactly where I’m at in my life. As each day passed by during these last three years, I realized that having a vision, dreaming big, and having a simple, yet smart goal-setting plan is very important. It’s the key to happiness, an avenue to be a blessing to others and the gateway to changing the world.
If you’re a dreamer, but don’t know where to start, you’re in the right place.
Keep reading because the next three things I’m about to tell you are nuggets of pure gold that I wish was taught and drilled into me at a younger age.
Here are the first three steps to take to living out your dreams:
WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN
When I say everything, I mean everything. From your to-do lists to your goals, thoughts of the day, write it all down. Become a creature of habit. If you’re a pen to paper kind of person, buy a notebook/journal and jot everything down.
When you write everything down, it’s called a “brain dump” and will help you get more organized and think clearer. Include business ideas, drawings, errands, how you feel, what happened during the day, what you’re planning next, dinner dates with friends to sketches of website design ideas to your next blog post title to ideas of where you want to go next for vacation, etc. Yes, your mom’s award-winning recipes is included.
Sometimes writing things down can lead to ideas that end up taking you to a great place you won’t expect!
Additionally, you’ll be less stressed and will sleep much better considering you won’t have much on your mind after doing a nightly brain dump before going to bed! I use this journal and The Five Minute Journal.
SET UP YOUR ENVIRONMENT WITH INTENTION.
Where you live and who you hang out with has a lot to with who you become. Who are the top five people you hang out with? Are they broke? Negative? Bad with finances? Unhealthy? Unmotivated? Chances are, you will be too if you let yourself get sucked in. Trust me, it’s easy to lay back, chill and get pulled in doing what everyone else is doing.
Surround yourself with people who are self-motivated, find inspiration everywhere and also challenge you to grow. When you’re around others who are growing, your growth will happen too.
Think about your surroundings.
When it comes to your environment, are you living in a neighborhood with beautiful and inspiring areas to work (out) outside? Are there gyms, health clubs, healthy places to eat, parks, etc. nearby? Chances are, if you immerse yourself in a positive environment, you’ll be living a healthier lifestyle too!
Finally, ask yourself, “Who do I want to become?” and write down what you’d look like, how’d you feel, what kind of friends you’d have, and where you’d live.
If you’re not working towards that direction, start now.
Be intentional about who you have in your life and where you’re living!
TAKE ACTION AND STAY CONSISTENT
This is probably the most important step to living out your dreams. Take action.
Do something from your goals list everyday. Something as small as making a phone call or shooting an email is a big deal. When it comes to your goals and dreams, the reason why I say to always do something everyday is because if you don’t, fear will start to set in.
When fear sets in, you don’t take action.
The more you let fear rule your life, the less action you’ll take. Taking action will help push out any negative thoughts and doubts that creep in! Fight your fears with action steps. Also, staying consistent is the beginning of creating a habit. For example, taking off your make up is just as important as eating healthy and working out.
If you get yourself into a habit, you will keep it, so start small like taking your make up off properly and washing your face every night!
I hope this has helped you today in getting you one step closer to living out your dreams. If you already do these things, which one is your strong suit and which one is what you need to improve on? For me, I’m working on staying consistent.
How are you living out your dreams? Let me know in the comments!
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