So don’t put your dreams in a box on the shelf
I heard an inspiring Toastmaster speech about realizing your dreams instead of putting them on hold, as if stored in a box somewhere out of sight – too valuable to discard yet definitely in the “inactive” category. Our goals for well-being may have this repeating introductory phrase: “Someday, I am going to…” and you fill in the blank. Maybe your completion of the phrase is “eat more greens”, or “take a walk every day”, or “practice mindfulness”, or “develop more gratitude”, or “have a more positive attitude”, etc. I’m sure you knew immediately what your boxed up dreams for well-being were – we all have them….proper weight, vitality, more creative, peace of mind, lightness of being, etc.
It’s not hard to find out the “how” and make a plan – the challenge is in the doing – rather than keeping your dream in the box on the shelf yet another day. To move from dreaming to doing requires following through because of your commitment to yourself instead of allowing your emotions to lead, as in “I just don’t feel like it today”. This kind of commitment is similar to showing up at work everyday whether you feel like it or not….you just go in spite of your mood. Another idea to get your dream in the active category is to establish baby, baby steps, so small you hardly notice you’ve done it….and then build on that. Slowly, with this consistency, the dream begins to be in motion, and changes are noticeable. This positive feedback feeds your enthusiasm and adds to motivation to keep going. I’ve seen these results time and time again in my own life, with walking/exercising after months of no exercise after a surgery, with painting everyday for a set time, with my daily qigong practice. Slowly but surely they became integrated into my life’s flow as I claimed “Someday is today”…..let’s do it!!! Be well.
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