Don't Miss Your Moment: 6 Tangible Ways to Create the Life You've Always Imagined
Photo Credit: @deeana.creates
Right before the pandemic, my best friend and I had the opportunity to travel to Jamaica for my 25th birthday. That was in February of 2020. I, like the rest of the world, had no idea what was to follow. We spent five blissful days on the island, relishing in the island experiences and exploring every beach we could find. One day we simply waded in the Caribbean Sea for hours. Time seemed to slow down and speed up all at once. Living in this moment felt like pure euphoria. It made me want to stop the clocks to experience that feeling more and more. But it also made me want to fast forward to the part of my life where I’d work in a career field that really made me happy and afforded me the option to experience
moments like this more often. That’s when I had the realization: all of this time is valuable. From the time I spent wandering in the ocean to the time I spent sitting at a desk. All of that time carried the same value.
It may sound cliché, but time is the only non-renewable resource that really exists. Whatever we dream of doing in our lives shouldn't have to wait until we feel like we’ve “made it”. Don’t spend all of your time waiting for the big moment that you end up missing it instead. The journey to create the life we’ve imagined starts now. Since making the decision to not let this time pass me by, I’ve discovered these six tangible ways that have brought me closer to creating that life.
1. Start with Short-term Goals
Sometimes making large, lofty goals can intimidate you before you've even started your journey. Every big jump starts with baby steps. Start by setting short-term goals you know have to be completed in order to make it to the long-term goals. For example, maybe your long-term goal is to travel to a new country. Begin by planning for a monthly or bi-monthly savings goal that will bring you closer to that big goal. Another possible barrier may be stepping outside of your comfort zone with confidence. Maybe you’ll be less likely to go to a new activity by yourself in a brand new location and honestly, that’s understandable. But challenge yourself to try activties you may not regularly do in your own city first. Websites like Meetup or Eventbrite are great ways to discover events with a new crowd that shares similar interests. Many events are even virtual so you may not even have to leave your home to step outside of your comfort zone.
2. Place Meaningful Reminders
"Out of sight, out of mind" might be the truest phrase ever spoken. It's easy to lose sight of your intentions if you’re unable to visualize them. In these cases, placing a photo or even a written note in a place you'll see every day that reminds you of your 'why’ just might be the answer'. That photo could be a landmark in a city you're planning a big move to or a photo of a loved one that inspires you to be better. It could live on your refrigerator, your mirror, or even your phone screen. Wherever you place it, just be sure that it's a place you frequently view so that over time it blends into your subconscious mind and the reminder of your ‘why’ is always with you.
3. Say It Out Loud
This may seem silly at first, but start telling others about your vision for your future out loud. There's something that happens when you make a public declaration of your aspirations. It starts to become more real. It also holds you accountable because now that you've told your closest friends and family about your plans, they just might ask about your progress along the way. So let a loved one know about your plans. You never know, you may receive advice from someone who has experienced something similar just because you decided to speak on it.
4. Be Specific in Your Goals
Making the goal is one step, and it's a good step. But once you've made it there, it's important to get as specific as possible with those goals. Why? Because you may encounter things that seem like your
dreams but if you take a closer look you’ll realize that “dream” is actually missing critical criteria. It's easy to be taken off course and fooled by these pseudo-dreams. That's when being specific in your goals comes in handy. When you're specific, you can easily weed out the things that don't fit into your criteria and pass when something is not in alignment with you.
5. Make a Plan with Checkpoints
Depending on your goals, you can start to make a plan with specific checkpoints to keep you on track. If it’s a savings goal, you can aim to save “X” amount of dollars in the next six months. And maybe you meet that goal, maybe you don’t. But making the checkpoint gives you something to aim for. If your goal includes another location, start to look at housing options well in advance to know what to expect when the time comes. You may not be viewing places you’ll actually end up living in, but it provides you with a frame of reference for the journey ahead.
6. Celebrate Even Your Small Wins
When I say ‘celebrate’ I mean actually celebrate. It doesn't have to be a huge party or luxurious shopping spree. Your celebrations can be just as simple as a meal at that restaurant in town you always wanted to try or a day of rest for all the hard work you’ve recently done. Celebrating yourself throughout your journey will allow you to look forward to completing milestones on the way to your goals. There’s nothing wrong with a little positive reinforcement.
Photo Credit: @pnw.production
The journey to creating the life you’ve imagined will come with its fair share of struggles. Oftentimes, just hoping on a wish and prayer doesn’t work quite like we wished it would. But don’t let that make you lose sight of what you’re aiming for. It is possible. Like a lot of other things in life, it requires preparation and planning. It requires believing that you are capable of doing exactly what you set out to do. With these tips, you’ll be feeling more empowered and in control of your destiny to live the life you were created to live. Don’t let any valuable moments pass you by in vain.