“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” – George Bernard Shaw via Marianne
What is it that I want? When I close my eyes and see my perfect life, what is it that I see?
Have a vision!
There are literally hundreds of sites, books, seminars, and even whole conferences to determine your passion. Go ahead and pay for them all… or get the shortcut here for free!
Yeah, a real live shortcut that actually works. Now, I’ll tuck away the question-mark jacket and booming announcer voice I donned for the into. The thing is, I listened to an 8-disc set on finding what I really want to do with my life… but realized all it takes is one vision.
I’m not talking about a peyoti-induced vision-quest, ala Family Guy, where the Fonz appears in the sky and tells you what you want. I’m simply talking about a daydream. It all starts there.
4 Simple step process.
Step 1:
Close your eyes and visualize your “perfect life”. If you could be doing anything at all, what is it? Keep in mind, this may change, so what’s got you enthralled right now?
I hear the waves gently crashing on the shore. I feel the sun beating down on my legs, the only thing sticking out from the umbrella. I feel the tap of the keyboard under my fingers. I dream-in-dream a memory of the morning jog, fit as a fiddle, across the beach at dawn, with my chocolate lab. I taste the cool water come down my throat as I feel the cell phone vibrate. A txt from my beautiful lover comes in only moments before my daughter calls on her break between classes. After a nice chat, I smile and wave to two locals as they pass by, then respond a cute something to my lover. I put the phone down, exhale deeply and feel the intense warmth of perfection… for a moment. Then, anxiously jump back into the epic article I was drawn away from.
Step 2:
Who are you? Write down a list of everything you see in that dream. ALL the elements are there for a reason. If you see something you don’t like, it’s likely fear clouding your vision. That’s OK. Write down that fear anyway… and just draw a line through it.
In my dream, I was a:
- A writer
- In great physical shape
- On an island (at least working remotely)
- I have a dog
- I have a romance
- I communicate with my daughter
- I’m friends with the neighbors
- I take the time to enjoy the moments
- I love doing what I’m doing
Step 3:
Action! What may seem like the hard part is quite the opposite. How easy is it for you to lose hours doing what you love? Anything getting you even one step closer to that dream IS doing what you love, right? Find things you can do today to work towards the vision. This is your dream.
I used CALC in Open Office, which is free. Excel is fine, so is pencil and paper. Here’s the table I created using the individual items we listed above.
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Writing this article |
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The run this morning |
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Location independent options… like blogging and researching / beginning other ventures |
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I’d love a dog, but right now I need to focus on me. This is important because I am discerning that “perfection” isn’t going to be immediate. I can’t expect it to be. |
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If you haven’t figured it out yet, you light someone’s fire with your own fire. If you’ve got a lot of work to do on you, you have to do that first. Build your fire, then light someone else’s! (Best love advice I was never given) |
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I stay home any night my daughter doesn’t work… without fail. |
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I have to be outgoing. This takes nothing at all but practice. I make it a point to chat with someone everywhere I go. Tattoos fascinate me, so I use them as a conversation starter. Sometimes, I just tell people they’re pretty… or their car is cool. |
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Wanna know a great thing about writing? Figuring yourself out. I have to learn to stop and enjoy more often. I’m going to do that as soon as this article is done… I’m going to enjoy an epic post! |
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Easy peasy! Just get started. I love writing, so I do it every day. You see, one action may solve multiple desires. |
Step 4:
Live it! Once you’re doing those things, you are living your dream. The path to your goals is really the goal itself.
Go Forth!
Have that dream. Close your eyes right now. What are the things that make your ideal? Stuck on what actions to take to get there? I’ve got a comments section. You’ve got a keyboard.
