Livin’ the Dream!

“Your background and circumstances may have influenced who you are,  but you are responsible for who you become.” 

– Darren Hardy

This blog is a continuation of reflections from my July post. So if you didn’t catch it, be sure to check it out!

We all know “that guy” who each time we pass them and ask how’s it going they respond with, “Livin’ the Dream!” (I bet you just pictured someone in your head.) I’m not hatin’ on that response. Someone said it to me recently though and I got to thinking, isn’t it usually said sarcastically? In my experience, most times when folks respond that way, they are doing so in jest. But what if it weren’t a sarcastic response? What if we could design the life we truly want?

The idea for this post came to me when I heard that response recently and thought, Holy shit! I really am! The goal that I set at 35, to be my own boss, I’m living that now. I’m literally “livin’ the dream.” (cue mind blown emoji). And you know what, my dream may seem small or insignificant to someone else, but for me, this was my big dream. And I will allow myself to feel proud of all the hard work I have put in to get here; I choose not to measure my success in relation to others. 

Darren Hardy would say most people set goals or have dreams but then ditch them because it feels too hard to make it their reality; “No excuses. If you aren’t achieving your dreams, it’s your own damn fault! Be the exception.” He challenged me to be the exception and keep pushing through the tough parts of chasing dreams. It’s easy to go through life on auto-pilot and get super comfy cozy in our routines. But many of us fear the idea of getting to the end of life with regrets about all the things we didn’t do. Yet, when we’re stuck on auto-pilot, time just seems to pass us by and fool us into believing that life just simply happens to us. 

At age 35, with the help of Darren Hardy’s influence, and that of a few others, I dared to dream bigger than I had before. It was terrifying and felt somewhat unrealistic. But that was only because of the limitations I had placed on myself throughout my life. The goals I set for myself would help me inch toward the dream life I was designing. Some of those goals were specifically around self-love & compassion so I could believe in my ability and worthiness to design and live the life I most wanted. Now here I am, typing thoughts on my blog. My name is a URL. 

Did I chase and realize this dream I had to work for myself? Yes! Have I conquered life? Definitely not. A quick pat on the back, and continued work to keep this thing going; back to the drawing board for new dreams to chase. 

The reality is, this is my goal for all of us— 

Step 1: Dream big. 

Step 2: Create an action plan to realize those dreams. 

Step 3: Hustle! And in the words of the legendary 70s/80s rock band, Journey, Don’t stop Believin’! 

Step 4: Live the dream. Celebrate with dance party. 

Step 5: Craft new dreams.  

“One step. That’s all it takes. Start today. Whatever grand goal you have. Break inertia and take a single step…today.” 

– Darren Hardy

Why haven’t you chased your dreams? Maybe you stopped chasing. Or maybe you haven’t even dared to dream (since you were 7). What scares you about dreaming big? What’s getting in your way of designing the life you most want to live? Reach out if you want to work through these questions together. I’d love the opportunity to guide you along your journey to help you live the most fulfilling life possible!

Live the Dream!