Make Your Life Happen!

How does one go from a chronic list-maker and wisher to a doer? How do you transition from dream to reality? From idea to done? Expert Danielle Dowling via MoveNourishBeleive shares her tops tips on how to make it happen.

What’s your heart’s calling? What’s always in the back of your mind? What do you want to do but keep telling yourself you don’t have the time for?

Yes, that.

Each day, 
inch by inch, 
ever so slowly, 
shift your attention and skills to your passion project. Shift away from pleasing only other people and towards genuinely pleasing yourself. If you keep doing things that don’t excite you a piece of your soul will wither. You’ll find yourself one or three or five years from now still mulling it over, handicapped by fear or complacency.

There is only one way to get what you want: dedicate your life to it.

1. What at are your BIG ideas and desires? Ask yourself: Which fantasy brings you total and complete elation, but simultaneously fills you with self-doubt and apprehension? Momentarily suspend reason – apply heart.
2. Why is this dream so closely pinned to your heart? Specifically, what about it makes you light-headed with excitement?
3. List 5 blindingly brilliant reasons why your bigger-than-big dream is totally worth pursuing, crazy or not.
4. Declare your dreams and desires.   It’s time to make your dreams known – in detail – and then make them visible. Tape them to your mirror, your front door or even the refrigerator! Of course, Pinterest is a great place to dream in colour. Pinterest is a place filled with inspiration-worthy quotes, great ideas, and the homes and vacations that fantasies are made of.
5. Fold yourself up in those desires daily. Take a look at them as soon as you wake up, visualize them while you take a shower, recite them as you commute to work on the train or sit in traffic, imagine yourself having attained your desires as you slip into deep, restful sleep each night. I’ve created a few tools to help you do all this reminding and tracking.
6. Tell someone! Happiness (and goals + dreams) are better when they’re shared. Share your dreams, aspirations, and deepest wants with an accountability partner. Who makes for a good accountability partner? Someone who’s a good listener, who will hold you to your goals, and whose input you respect. It might make more sense to hire someone who will keep you on track – a coach or a therapist. Maybe you can ask a favor from your closest girlfriend – treat her to a yoga class or glass of wine once a week in exchange for 30 minutes of discussion about dream progress. Hopefully, she’ll engage in some loving nudges and reminders to keep you headed in the right direction.   Who will you tell your dream to? Who already knows your dream?
7. Invest in your dreams! We take things much, much more seriously when we spend money on them and your dreams are no exception. Yes, you can learn just about anything through library books and Youtube tutorials, but you’ll feel like a polished pro after completing a real, in-person training. Want to see Paris? Sign up for French classes. Fantasize about working for yourself? Check out a business boot camp or hire a business coach. Want to start throwing amazing dinner parties? It’s a lot more likely to happen if you invest in some gorgeous dishes and a cooking class or two. What three steps can you take today and this week to invest in your dreams?
8. What is one thing I can do today that will set me up for greatness tomorrow?
9. What three steps can I take tomorrow that will catapult me towards greatness for the week?
10. Celebrate! What is one thing I can do this week to celebrate all my hard work and dedication to making my goals happen?