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Today I want to ask you something: what steps are you taking to achieve your dream life?
No, really, what are you doing RIGHT NOW that’s going to help make that dream come true?
Are you studying for a future dream career? Are you taking action in some way? Are you making changes to those things that aren’t working, always bettering yourself, always bettering your plans?
You’ve probably figured out that this site is all about living your dream life, and starting to live your better days today (instead of later).
But what you might not have figured out yet, is how exactly you’re supposed to make that happen. I mean, how do you just suddenly start living better, today?
Table of Contents
To live your dreams, you have to change your mindset.
It means it’s time to do a hard reset.
Take just about every thought, self-doubt, (limiting) belief, and complaint, and throw it out the window.
You heard me. Clear it all out.
Now I want you to picture this: you’re smiling. The sun is shining. And for the first time in your entire life, you are truly happy because you don’t wish for anything more than you have right this minute.
That’s a feeling most of us only hope to ever feel, that most of us BELIEVE we’ll never feel. Wake up one day not wanting for anything? Psh. I must be crazy, right?
Wrong (ok, so I’m a little crazy in other respects, but on THIS account, I’m right).
When you question if you’ll ever finally get out of debt, you’re giving yourself permission to fail.
When you wonder why everyone else has everything you want, you’re telling yourself that you’re not good enough.
When you quit before you’ve given something a fair shot, you’re letting yourself be a failure.
If you can’t get it absolutely burned into your head that you CAN have your happiness, that you WILL someday have perfect finances, and that you ARE capable of anything your mind can dream up, then yeah, you’ll never see those dreams come true.
But I’m willing to bet that you’re like me, and you’re the worst self-doubter you know. Even if you aren’t, I’ll be you feel like you could use a little help getting started.
You need support, advice, and a clear path forward. And I’ve got just the thing for you:
If you feel like you could use a little help figuring out what your dream life should look like and how to get started on your path to it, then feel free to click either the image above or this link to send an email request for a FREE 30-minute life coaching jump-start call (will open in a new tab or a new email draft in your email client). Let’s get you feeling confident, capable, and happy!
(And make sure you’re signed up to receive our regular newsletter for even more coaching, support, and advice, right in your inbox!)
Achieve your dreams in just 3 steps? Absolutely.
Take a deep breath.
Stop worrying about everything. Stop second-guessing yourself.
Stop comparing yourself to everyone around you, and stop letting yourself think that you’ll never “get there” — that you’ll never get to where you want to be.
Your very first pre-step on the way up is to embrace today.
After that, it’s as simple as
- Take today in stride for what it is. Assess where you are vs. where you want to be, and make a note of what needs to change.
- Make an action plan for how you’re going to close the gap between today and your dreams. You can wish for that yacht or sports car all you want, but until you make a real action plan for how you’re going to make it happen, you’ll always be stuck wishing.
- TAKE action. Making the plan does you no good if you don’t actually get up off the couch and get moving.
Keep reading to get your head in the game and better understand each step.
Step 1: Appreciate today.
How to define and embrace today.
Take today for what it is – you can’t change what affected how today turned out, and you can’t really do much until tomorrow. You only have today, so far, after all.
Since tomorrow is never a guarantee, you may as well make the most of today instead of waiting for joy in the future, right? Right. It is a challenge to change this mindset, yes, but it IS possible.
Seriously – figuratively speaking, your “today” is your immediate view. It’s today, a literal tomorrow, or maybe this week. You obviously need to worry a little bit about the current week when you wake up first thing Monday morning, because you need to know where to be and when, what needs to get done, etc.
But beyond that, there really isn’t much you need to put as a “priority worry” for today.
You’ll find something interesting happens when you stop worrying so much and start focusing in on what today looks like: you’ll start to have a better vision forming in your mind as to what you want your dream life to look like.
And that’s because you’ll start to see more good in your days, and less miserable. You’ll begin to appreciate the little things more, to be content with the happiness of the moment, and have fewer things threatening to steal that happy away.
So what’s “tomorrow,” then?
Tomorrow is next month, next year. It’s just…later.
A college junior might need to give a little thought to what they’ll do when they graduate, but nothing too serious. Focus on the right now, so you can make the choices that reflect your true desires, not what you think you desire.
I need to give a little thought to my summer vegetable garden by starting my seeds in the late winter, but I certainly don’t need to worry much about how the layout will be, or what kind of staking I’ll use. (Yes, give it a passing thought so you know what you need to start for your seeds, but don’t get lost in it!)
I need to worry about if my kids will grow up ok, if my husband is still doing well ever since having had cancer, and I need to try my best to be ready before Christmas has a chance to sneak up on me.
But I DON’T need to worry so much about what our life will look like 5 years from now (easier said than done, I know), because my husband’s recovery has gone leaps and bounds better than even his doctors would have expected (and far better than the average…by months and months worth of progress), Christmas comes the same time every year so I’ve luckily got some advance notice, and my kids seem fine…so far. 😉
Embrace today for what it is.
The past already happened, you can’t change it, so don’t dwell on it. Learn the lessons that the past offers, then move on and move forward.
After that, what’s next?
Once you’ve come to terms with today, start to make changes for tomorrow.
But what kind of changes do you need to make?
Changes to your finances? Your cleaning routine? Your productivity?
Step 2: Plan for tomorrow, whatever that may look like.
Tomorrow is going to bring its own list of worries with it, as we all well know.
And those worries will turn into big hulking problems if you don’t have a little bit of foresight and effort put forth today.
Let me put it this way: you know you’ve got 4 pairs of underwear left in your drawer, and it’s Thursday morning. That means you could get away with waiting to do laundry until the weekend, and you’d be fine.
But what happens if the weekend gets busy? What happens if you let yourself be lazy, and you completely forget?
Come Monday morning, you might be stopping at the store on your way to work so that you’ve got some clean britches and your co-workers won’t think a toilet backed up somewhere. (Ok, that’s an exaggeration, but still, eew.)
Giving a small consideration to the future in terms of making decisions that save you time, money, and your sanity, are decisions that you NEED to be making on a regular basis.
Whether you’re just trying to get ahead on your chores list or you’re aiming to be the next Warren Buffet, it’s time to stop putting things off and start making a plan.
You won’t get your laundry done unless you specifically plan to get it done. You also won’t make an extra $1,000 per month, buy a new car, or be able to buy a bigger house unless you define the specifics of how you’re going to get there.
- Are you going to ask for a raise at work (and do you deserve it or do you need to put in some extra work first)?
- Have you considered starting a side hustle to bring in some extra cash to offset where your day job falls short?
- Do you need to take a fresh look at your budget to make sure you’re not overspending on things that don’t matter, and that you’re doing everything possible to get your finances right?
- If you’re looking to make a career change, have you researched if any additional education is necessary or valuable, and looked into where and when you’ll enroll?
- Will you need to find a professional to work with, such as a financial consultant, to make sure that you’re on track for the early retirement you’re dreaming of?
Once you’ve figured out exactly what it is that you’re aiming for, you’ll be much better prepared to make the list of action items needed.
Don’t forget to include action items for things not directly related to your dream life, too. For example, if you’re planning on starting a side hustle, you might find yourself even shorter on time than before. It might be prudent to choose one or more subscription services to streamline something like grocery shopping or invest in some time-savers for around the house, like getting yourself a (truly heaven-sent) Roomba.
Well, never stop your efforts to keep saving, always, but now you’re ready for the last stop on your journey to your better days. The easy step.
Step 3: Take action and start living your dream.
You’ve learned to take breaks and enjoy the moment. You’ve learned to let some things go, to make sure your hard-earned money isn’t wasted, and to make every minute work harder.
You’re on auto-pilot. You’re there: your better days.
But if all of that knowledge exists only on paper, then none of it matters.
Saying that you need a raise of $500 per month more to start shifting the debt pay-off needle is a great first step since you’re clearly in touch with your finances. But until you make it happen, then what good does that do you?
There are few things in life that are more powerful than action.
If you run – and run enough – you’ll lose weight.
If you work hard to increase your income level, you’ll have more cash to work with.
If you know what needs to be done, exactly, to make your current life transform into your dream life, well, then what are you still doing here? Get up, get out there, and DO.
You might be surprised just how much more energized you’ll feel when you’ve started a side hustle that brings in $200 per month consistently.
You’ll be shocked to realize how much farther or faster you can run after you’ve been at it for a few weeks.
And when you finally get there – your dream life – you’ll wonder why you thought it was so out of reach before (yet another lie you had let yourself believe for far too long).
Bonus: Step 4: Be happy.
There’s one thing I want you to remember on your journey, and this is the most important thing of all:
Your dream life will only ever feel as good as your appreciation of it. If you can’t first learn to be truly content with what you already have, then you’ll always be wanting for more, no matter how much you have.
Your better days are entirely possible, but without the right mindset, they’ll never exist.
Appreciate today for what it is, and you’ll be better equipped to appreciate your future as it is, as well.
And when you do finally reach that dream life you designed, make sure that you regularly stop to appreciate it.
- Use your new-found extra time to start that business you always wanted – that side hustle (or full-time hustle) will put even more extra cash in your pocket to bring your dreams to life even faster. Maybe you’ll be able to change your life even more than you realized!
- Celebrate your new-found financial freedom with a fancy dinner or a vacation. Have a party to warm the new house you just had built from scratch.
- Sit and reflect on how far your relationship has come, now that you’ve learned to stop letting worry, fear, frustration, etc. get in the way.
- Stop and enjoy a cup of coffee in your pajamas, because you’re finally peaceful and happy.
Whatever your better days are, whatever your dream life is, live it. You’ve worked hard to get there; don’t forget any of the lessons you’ve learned along the way.
What do your better days look like?
Do you know how to reach them, or are you still uncovering your path forward? Whatever they may be, no matter how big or small, know that you will be successful in reaching them, so long as you can believe in yourself.
Don’t forget to sign up below for our newsletter, to make sure you’re getting all the help you need in running towards your dream life!
And if you need a little more help, remember to check out how you can work with me, to get you the help you need to get on the path forward that’s right for you.
absolutely loved this 😀 focusing on one day at a time is so beneficial, instead of worrying about the future, completely agree with that 🙂
The mindset change is absolutely a powerful way to change our habits and to take actions toward our dreams!