How To Start Living The Life Of Your Dreams

When I was 21 years old, I had many dreams and ideals, but not much direction in life. At the time I remember feeling very motivated listening to the song Hold On Tight To Your Dreams by The Electric Light Orchestra.  To this day, it still inspires me.

What life has however taught me since those starry-eyed days is that holding onto our dreams is indeed very important, but what is more crucial is taking the necessary action to make it happen. Spirit has shown me that the only way to truly manifest the life of our dreams is to go for it with everything we have: mind, body and soul. To actualize our dreams sooner rather than later, we must approach it with a determined, proactive combination of spirituality and practicality.

Find Your Faith

The first and most important step is to rally the support of spirit. Attempting to achieve our goals without the inspiration, protection and guidance of God, Source, Spirit, the Divine, is an arduous, and often treacherous undertaking. Only fools rush in where angels fear to tread.

Manifesting our dreams in ways we never before deemed possible requires spiritual alignment with our higher self, as well as faith in our ability as children of the Universe to create our best life. Holding on to big dreams without believing in a higher power or something greater than ourselves is a meaningless exercise and a mission impossible.

So if you have a dream then just believe that you can achieve it no matter what. Even when you can’t feel deep in your heart any words of encouragement, just believe in your dream and your heart will finally show you the way ~ Shuchi Gupta

Stop Making Excuses

Life happens. We all face challenges and obstacles in life. As difficult as it sometimes can be, these things do happen. It is part of the spiritual journey that we have come to experience in this world. However, there is never a perfect time to start anything. Irrespective of our circumstances, we must go for what we want in life. We must find the time, energy, and courage to make things happen.

Fear of failure (or success) can cause us to procrastinate and not take the necessary action necessary to bring our dreams to fruition.  This is sheer self-sabotage and a very detrimental way of thinking. It is vital that we replace it with a more positive, determined mindset and proactive behaviors. The Universe cannot meet us halfway on the road to our dreams while we remain stuck in fear at the starting line.

Ask yourself, what exactly are you afraid of? Is the fear of never achieving your dreams holding you back from trying to actualize them? Is it imposter syndrome of not feeling good enough? Are you playing small to play it safe? Figure out what exactly is holding you back and then confront it for the false, limiting belief it really is. Our fears do not keep us safe. They keep us small. Step up and get your dreams off the ground.

Release The Past

Mistakes are simply life lessons, if we learn from it and never repeat the same mistakes. But we must not base our dreams for the future on our past failings. While you may have failed on more than one occasion in the past, it does not mean you will keep doing so. Failures are stepping stones to success. Learning from and overcoming our failures leads us to achieving our goals.

Thomas Edison reportedly said, “I have not failed. I have just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Adopting this healthy philosophy would be a great start in achieving your goals and experiencing your dreams.

It may seem daunting to look at your dreams and truly believe that you have the power to make all of them a reality. It takes a lot of work and even more faith to move past fear and make things happen, but it’s it’s far from impossible ~ Cara Alwill Leyba

Take Small Steps

I remember speaking to a client recently who wants to lose weight and get healthier. He has joined a gym, started a new diet, got the T-Shirt and tracksuit, bought a juicing machine, and jogs around the park nearly every day. He has been going all out to smash his goals, yet he was actually setting himself up for failure by taking on too much all at once.

Smaller, more attainable steps that gradually builds into an everyday routine and complete lifestyle, are usually much more effective. Lasting personal transformation require us to adopt life-changing habits, which takes time and effort.

Rather than immediately going all out for the top prize or grand finale, one is more likely to successfully get to the finish line with a more measured, realistic approach. Going in all guns blazing usually does not end well, as it is likely to lead to burnout or disappointment. We quickly become disheartened when our lofty goals begin to run out of steam.

Fix Your Inner Dialogue

Negative self-talk is often our worst enemy. How many times have you wanted to pursue something, when your inner voice advised you that there is no way it will work? It does not matter who the voice of your inner saboteur belongs to or where it originated. What is essential is that you become your best personal coach and not your worst inner critic. By doing so, you will direct yourself over your insecurities and through your fears to find the road to your success.

Don’t put limits on yourself. Not every dream will come true, and not every dream is from God. But when your dreams connect with God’s plans, you’ll find open doors that you never thought you’d see ~ Max Lucado

Adopt An Empowered Mindset

My late brother bought me my first bicycle when I was just 11 years old.  My father told me it would take me a long time for me to learn to ride it, because I feared losing my balance. He was inadvertently setting me up to develop a self-limiting mindset, but instead it just made me more determined. I learned to ride that bike in just one day! Although I was a little bruised after falling several times, the experience helped me to adopt a self-empowered mindset that still continues to prove many naysayers wrong as I go through life!

Cultivate Anchored Habits

Just like we shower and brush our teeth every day, we need to adopt life-affirming habits that bring us closer to the fulfilment of our dreams. Known as anchoring, we must turn ideas and intentions into a regular daily practice.

It takes about 21 days to establish a new lifestyle habit, as our mind becomes hardwired into thinking in a particular manner. Start with micro-habits and allow them to build and expand over time. Wise, constructive habits are absolutely necessary for making the changes required to start living the life you have always dreamed of.

Visualize The Outcomes

I discovered the power of visualization in a magnificent way when I was a pre-teen. It was sports day at school and some of the other children in my class had already decided who would win the bean bag race, even before it had taken place.  Even as a young girl this kind of arrogant conjecture annoyed me.

So, I decided to prove them wrong. I started to vividly imagine how I would cross that winning line before anybody else, and repeatedly told myself that I was going to win. Well, much to the shock and amazement of my presumptuous classmates, I did win! Annoyance led to increased faith and determination that helped me win the race.