We only have once chance to live our life. Making sure it’s the life you want needs to be your priority. Giving yourself the space and freedom, to be imperfect, to fail, learn and move on, is part of saying yes to your dream. But how do you know if it’s the right dream for you, and how do you make it happen?
Is it the right dream for you?
Thinking deeply and unpicking whether or not it’s a true dream or an expectation: an ‘I should want this’. If it’s something that you feel is expected of you, it’s unlikely to be your dream. If it’s something you’re passionate about, that you know you need to see what happens, then you’re heading down the right path.
Making your dream real!
Create a detailed picture of your dream. Write it down, draw it, collage it. It doesn’t matter how you do it — whether it’s by hand or digital — what matters is getting it out of your head and getting into the detail of your dream. The more you know about your dream, whether it’s a dream job, business or lifestyle, and the more real it feels, the easier it is to focus on it and work towards it. This process goes by many names: a vision board, or a mission or vision statement. Whatever you want to call it, it’s a great way to visualise what your end goal is and to keep you inspired and motivated on a daily basis. Once you’ve finished making your vision stick it up somewhere you’ll see on a daily basis, making sure to really look at it.
Breaking it down
What are the small steps you need to take to achieve your dream? Creating a vision of your dream is one part of the puzzle, the next is working out how to get there. Whatever you prefer — words, images, paper, paint — use it to map out and describe your journey. Thinking about your dream business or job, what are skills you need to have? Who do you need to connect with? What groups do you need to be a part of? What will you start selling first? How will you grow. The more detailed you can be the better.
Trust
If it’s something you’re passionate about there will always be people interested in what you’re doing, they may not be your family or friends but that’s ok. Life would be boring if we were all the same! Trust you’ll find your community, and focus on connecting with other people who share your passion and your mindset. Most importantly, trust yourself and what you believe in. You’re the expert in your life.
Space for failure
Failure isn’t a dirty word, or something to be afraid of. Failure is an exciting way to learn, and an opportunity to grow quickly. Incorporating space into your dream for things that don’t always go to plan gives you a chance to think about failure differently — as a way to make your dream even better — helping you build resilience.
Asking for what you want
Sometimes this process is called manifestation, and creating a vision board and a plan is part of doing this. But there’s also another way. Simply ask people for what you want. It’s really hard to read someone’s mind — especially if they don’t know you — and the simplest, and often the only, way is to ask. Maybe you admire someone and aspire for something similar. You don’t have to feel weird or shy about it, it can be as simple as asking them what they did. They might not tell you, but then again, they might. The same goes for press or opportunities. Just reach out and find out more. You might get a lot of knock backs, but you’ll be closer to making your dreams a reality.
Find joy in the journey
We often focus on the destination rather than the journey — achieving THE DREAM — but it’s the journey that’s the fun and exciting part. Enjoy it! It’s work, but you’re doing it for you and there’s a lot of joy in building something from an idea.
