Ever wake up one day and think, “How did I get here?” or “This certainly isn’t where I thought I would be at this point in my life.” These 5 simple steps will change your focus to keep your thoughts and actions in the direction of the life you’ve always dreamed of!
Do you replay your life over and over again in your mind wondering what you should or could have done differently?
I’ve ask myself, “What went wrong?” but, deep down, I already know. You too, huh? For me, it’s debt. So. much. debt. Stupid spending decisions, extravagant remodels, new vehicles and way too much eating out are just part of the mistakes I made that have me in a place that seems way too far from the life I thought I would be living right now.
Then the regret starts to take hold. All the dreams I once had seem to become unreachable. The faith that was so strong just a short while ago seems to also have disappeared.
How do you stop the thoughts? How do you stop the regret? How do you get the faith back?
How do you dream again when everything around you looks too hopeless to change?
It’s time to buckle down, put your chin up, and make a choice. Choose to follow these 5 steps to get to the life you’ve always dreamed of living!
1. CHange Negative Thoughts to Positive Thoughts
I know what you’re thinking. Easier said than done, right? I know right now this may FEEL impossible and although it may take some time, you CAN change your thought process.
You can’t stop the first thought that comes into your mind but you CAN stop the second, third, fourth and all the thoughts after that initial thought. So after that first thought of the what if’s and If only’s (or even before you finish the thought) stop yourself. Even if it means speaking “STOP IT!” out loud to yourself. Choose to make your second thought a positive thought. Even if you have to carry a list of blessings in your pocket to remind you of the positives in your life.
If you have to throw yourself a pity party (as I sometimes do) set a time limit. Give yourself 15 minutes then wipe the tears and move on.
2. practice gratitude
One of the best ways to combat sadness and regret is to recognize all the things we have to be grateful for in our lives. Life may not look like you thought it would at this moment, but all of us have something to be grateful for. My regret is not doing what was necessary to be a SAHM. It was my dream from childhood and I never made it happen. But I am extremely grateful I have a close knit family and my kids come home a lot. (Insert gushy warm heart feelings here. 🙂 )
I challenge you to write at least 5 things a day that you are grateful for. Don’t put your pen down until you have written 5 things. This changes your focus to the good things in your life.
3. CREATE A VISION BOARD
One of the best ways to keep a dream alive is to SEE it everyday. What better way to see it than a vision board? A man without a vision will perish. Visions and dreams keep us alive!
It doesn’t have to be huge or spectacular. It’s better if it’s simple and clear.
Close your eyes. Imagine your dream life. Where are you? What are you doing? Who is with you? Write it down then put it on a dream board. There are many tutorials for vision boards but my favorite is the book Dream It. Pin It. Live It. by Terri Savelle Foy. (Love her!!)
If you don’t have the money for the book use Pinterest to get ideas but, remember, there is no reason to go overboard. Just make it clear and put it somewhere you will see it every day.
4. make a plan and take action
You’ve got the vision, now it’s time to make the plan. It takes small steps to tackle big dreams, so, start simple.
Take a look at your vision board (or, for now, the paper you wrote your vision in Step 3), pick ONE thing on your board/list. Create small, doable, actionable steps towards the vision.
For example, I am de-cluttering and organizing the upstairs rooms of my home. My action plan looks like this:
- Day 1 – Find suitable place to store items to sell until Spring and suitable place to store a donate box until it is full. Clean out 1/2 of bedroom #1 closet, separating items to sell, donate and keep. Price items to sell before placing in box.
- Day 2 – Clean out second half of bedroom #1 closet.
- Day 3 – Organize items I am keeping in Bedroom #1 closet.
- Day 4 – List 5 items to sell on Ebay.
- Day 5 – Go through 2 boxes in bedroom #2 sorting into donate, sell and keep. Price items for sale before putting in box. List 2 items on Ebay.
Small simple steps. It doesn’t look like I accomplish much in a days time but after a week….I have cleaned and organized a closet, listed a few items for sale and have begun cleaning out bedroom #2. Breaking it down into small actionable steps takes out the overwhelm. Before you know it, you will be well on your way to having a dream fulfilled!!! (Can you guess one of my dreams is to have a de-cluttered, organized house?)
5. PRAY
I believe this is the most important step of all. I’m sure you’ve been praying, or at least trying to. Seems like when we need to pray the most, the words just don’t seem to come, doesn’t it? Take joy in the fact when you don’t know what to say, He already knows.
One of my very favorite songs is Just Say Jesus by 7eventh Time Down. Give it a try. That in itself brings peace and encouragement.
I also believe we can’t just pray then sit back and wait for it all to work out on its own. We must pray then act AS IF it is already done. Acting AS IF is where faith comes in. Faith is an action word. This is why step 4 is so important!! Pray. Ask. Take action. God’s word says we have not because we ask not. So ask! And faith without works is dead. So take action!
I hope this encourages you today, NOT to give up on your dreams. Keep moving forward.
Be sure to leave a comment or question. I’d love to hear from you!