In my book Painting Your Path (see last post) I talk about the framework I follow to achieve my goals. It’s a 5-step flow. The first step is dream. Let me know know if you can relate? When you were a child, there were probably things you enjoyed doing. You didn’t think about what other people thought; you just expressed yourself. As you got older, other people influenced you: your family, friends, bosses, co-workers, people in your community. You started to listen more to them than to you. When I graduated from high school, I went straight to college, because that’s what was expected. That’s what my parents wanted me to do. I had no real idea what I wanted to major in. If I could re-do that part of my life, I would have totally done the travel abroad thing. Taken a year off and enjoyed an adventure before continuing with school. Spend a little time with myself and explore or work somewhere interesting to me. How about you? Did you know what you wanted to be when you grew up?
The good news is, no matter what your age, you can still dream. Even if you’ve worked at the same place for 20 years and you finally hit the point where you said, I’m done. You can come back to dreaming.
If you’re at a cross-road, take some time and think about your interests. What do you enjoy doing? Don’t have a hobby, what are you interested in? Not sure what you’re interested in, why not look through a course book or online class? Are there certain organizations or causes that are calling you? Start there. My point is to take the time to go within. We spend so much time trying to look good for others; we don’t take the time to look in the mirror. The #1 regret of the dying: I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
Will you spend some time and dream? Take out a piece of paper or your journal and answer these questions:
1. What do I enjoy doing?
2. What are the activities where I lose time?
3. What am I known for?
4. What are my strengths?
5. What knowledge do I have that could solve someone’s problem?
6. What is something that I’ve always wanted to explore?
After you answer these questions, can you spend some time visualizing and seeing yourself in these activities? How does it make you feel?
