Why Your Dreams Need A Home (and How to Create It)
A few weeks ago I met with a friend who has been stuck in a bit of a rut. Her rut, however, is more of a #firstworldproblems kind of rut. It's not the "OMG! My life is falling apart right before my eyes" kind of rut. In short, she envisions a massive future for herself BUT (there's always a but, right?) she doesn't have any motivation to change what she's doing right now.
She works at a job that pays her well, she does have a management role and she gets to do work she enjoys. (Not the worst thing in the world, right?) The problem is that in her free time, she daydreams about this story forming in her head - a brilliant story of war, heartache, triumph and family values. Each day the story becomes more complex. It's poking at her, begging to be shared with the world.
Over peppermint tea, she shares with me her struggle with complacency. Her life is nothing short of enjoyable. That book (or screenplay - she hasn't decided) would add another layer of complexity to her life and she's not sure she's ready for it. Through her internal struggle, her vision is growing, each chapter of the story is now screaming at her, letting her know it's time to let it fly.
Whether she pursued this book or not, it was time to give her dreams a place to live. Her dreams are currently occupying her brain space making it difficult to fully enjoy her life as it is because she feels like she's missing something. She feels like she needs to do this. There's a subtle feeling of disappointment in herself for not bringing her dreams to life. (... and we've all felt this at some point, right?)
What she didn't realize is that she didn't need to quit her job to sit down and pen this body of work over the next year. Instead she can start a small process of making her dream tangible by giving it a place to live. Right now, she could start the process of writing down the names of each chapter as they came to her. She could start with a small summary of what would happen in each of those chapters. She could develop the names of the characters and pen the details of their personality and appearance. She could write down the conflicts they went through and how they got through them. The possibilities are endless...
Creating a home for your dreams is simple, you can:
Start a blog
Write down your ideas in a journal
Use Word Documents, Google Docs or Evernote
In doing this, you start making your dream tangible so, in small tiny pieces, it does become a reality. You also create a habit of taking steps towards your goal so that it's easier to keep the momentum going. (It won't be overnight, but within a few years, she will have that book.) Also, you stop feeling disappointed in yourself. Instead, you can feel proud that you've become that person that is making their dreams come true. In turn, you can fully enjoy the life you're currently living.
Finding a home for your dreams is your opportunity to simply START. You don't have to share it with anyone. Every time you have an idea, you now have a place where you can write it down and hold on to it until you're ready to take the leap. Your idea is not lost to you and it's no longer in abstract. It exists and you, with minimal effort, are taking the first steps to bringing your dreams to fruition.
