I loved that song when I was younger. 'I wish I was a little a bit taller, I wish I was a baller...' The song basically outlined all the different things the artist wish we had. Are we not like this? I wish my house was a bigger. I wish I had a different car. I wish I had a different job. If we're not careful, we can spend our whole life wishing - wishing our life away.
Don't get me wrong - wishes are not a problem - A quote from Walt Disney says, 'A dream is a wish your heart makes, when you're asleep.' But if we spend our life just wishing, then there is a problem. What do we do with our dreams and wishes?
It's important that we put plans into place to see our 'wishes come true'. No matter the size of our dream, it is important that we plan. It might be helpful to start with small steps and use reminders on your phone to alert you about certain tasks. Many people find it beneficial to put post it notes around their home or place of work to remind them of their tasks. Essentially whatever plans we have should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-based (SMART goals).
Your dream should lead to your vision and plans. In his book, The Dream-Centered Life
, Luke Barnett highlights the importance of dreaming big. Referencing Walt Disney, he highlights that everything starts with a dream. This shows us how important and how great dreams are, but we can't let it stop there. Our dreams should take us somewhere - they should take us beyond where we are. Luke Barnett is an example of someone who not only dreams big, but also acts on his dreams. Many people reference Walt Disney's dreams, and are amazed about how everything started with a dream that he had.
For ages I wished about different things. I wished I was a better dancer. I wished I was a better writer. I wished I had a positive impact on the world around me. I wish... I wish... I wish.Then I came to the realisation that the gap between my dreams and my reality was my actions. So I put plans in place to give room for my wishes to become reality.
Stop wishing and start planning...
I am a firm believer of there is a reason for everything and a time for everything. For everything there is a process. If you want apples in your garden, you have to plant an apple tree. This takes time. If you want to get a degree, you go to university. Obtaining the certificate takes time. For everything, there is a time and for everything there is a season.
Knowing this, knowing everything takes time, it can be quite frustrating. We live in a generation where most things that we want we get straight away - we want instant gratification! And I know, for me, this is a conflict I constantly face. The goals and visions that I have I know will take time before they come into fruition. There are things I have said that I would do and because they are not completed yet, I feel to leave them abandoned on the wayside. But things take time and we have to be willing to invest and put the work in.
Not only do things take time, but everything happens in the right time. Have you ever started a task and everything seems to go wrong? You're trying to get it done for a certain time but it doesn't seem to be working. The amount of times I have tried to do something and it hasn't worked out when I have wanted it to. However, I have persisted and when it did happen, it was like it was the perfect time for it to happen!
Ecclesiates 3:11 says, 'Everything is beautiful in its time.' For everything there is a reason and there is a time.
We give up on things, thinking they are not going to happen, but if we persist, things will happen at the right time.
So how's work going?
This is usually a question I hear when catching up with someone and the answer goes one in two ways. It's going well or there's a long list of reasons why it isn't going well. I think some us can agree that it is usually the latter. But then I had to challenge myself the other day and think, 'Am I just complaining?'
Some of us are fortunate enough to be in a job where we are doing something we enjoy. It may come with a work load and tasks that we do not enjoy, but hey, it's a job that we enjoy and we're getting paid for it. However, if I stop and moan about everything that is getting on my nerves, it will impact how I perceive my job.
On the flip side, sadly many of us are in a job we do not enjoy and it is just a means to an end. It is either part of our journey to something better or something we see only as a way to survive. Whilst looking for ways out of these jobs, we make the journey more tiring by complaining about the job we are currently in. We perceive the job as more of a burden than a blessing to get us to where we need to be. We don't have to love our job, but we should love our life, so the perspective we have of our jobs is very important because if you're like me, you're spending on average 12 hours a day on or at work and that's a huge portion of your life.
In order for us to have the right perspective, we have to make sure that:
1) We are thankful for the job that we have.
Now I know that this might sound crazy if you are in a job that you hate, but think, as a result of having this job you have a way of life. It might not be the way of life that you want at the moment, but would you rather have nothing? When I was at uni I had a customer assistant job (a posh way of saying that I worked at a till) and although for me it wasn't the job that I wanted to be in, I am thankful for that job. I was not only able to earn money whilst studying but I worked quiet shifts so I could study and work! Be thankful for you job.
2) Enjoy life outside of work.
In the last post, we looked at living a balanced. What's that saying? 'All work no play...'. We have to make sure that we live life balanced. What are you doing outside of work to enjoy life?
3) Plan your future.
If you are in a job you hate, what are you doing about it? It is not always as easy as starting a new course straight way because money doesn't grow on trees but put plans in place and commit to them. Your job will then be part of your journey and not your destination - you will appreciate it as being part of the process that gets you to where you want to be. Create a vision board or record your goals and how you will get there. All things are possible!
Do you hate your job or do you love complaining? Love the life that you live.
It didn't take long for the panic to set in. It's 2018, I'm 29 and what have I done with my life? At different stages of our lives, this question pops up to haunt us, over-shadowing any successes we have achieved! It is ridiculously easy to feel as if life is going nowhere or that you are stuck doing the same thing over and over again. Isn't that the definition of insanity?
Our characters and personalities are multifaceted. In different situations, we are different people, yet are still the same person. How do we be who we are when our job roles only allow us to live out one side of ourselves. For me, I found myself committed to teaching 24/7, which wasn't bad, but I felt limited. Other passions that I had were dying. There are many more sides to me, but it is not always possible for me to live that out in all situations - it's just not possible. So what do we do?
I realise that it is important to live a life outside of work. In 2018, let's make sure that we have a life! Pick up a new hobby. Sign up to a new course. Go for regular walks. Do life differently and take risks. Live a life you want to enjoy.
For me it looks like writing regularly, exercising regularly and doing different social activities. What will your life look like this year?
It's 2018! Yay! And as January is the first month of the year, it represents new beginnings, new seasons, new adventures. People have been spending time setting goals, building vision boards and creating targets for the year! It's an exciting time as everybody ushers in the new year with a sense of anticipation and adventure.
But it isn't long before we face our first challenges of the year. For some of us we have signed up to the gym but the bitter chill has kept us prisoners to our settees. For others of us, we have started a new diet but that cookie dough ice cream begged for just one taste. For me, it was simple things like not procrastinating and staying organised. Actually, I haven't even set my goals properly to be honest. I faced my first obstacle two days before new years and came down with the flu! The obstacles that we face can cause us to put things off until the next year, as we say 2019 will be better. I joke, some of us are not so extreme, at least not in January.
But I know I found myself today feeling frustrated with myself because I was not only disorganised, I was the epitome of disorganisation. So much for my poorly constructed new years resolution! But then I had to pull myself up! The year isn't over! My life isn't over. There are 357 days left of the year and how ever many days left in my life. All those days!
I then challenged myself to not only look at my year as a new opportunity but my day as a new opportunity. I would even go as far as to say a new hour is a new opportunity. We look at each year as a new opportunity to make improvements to our personal growth, why not each day? Or even each hour?
Eight days into the year, and we have had so many great opportunities presented to us already. We have 357 new opportunities and more to experience. What will you do with yours?
One of my favourite stories is the one of the Good Samaritan. For those who don't know it, Jesus tells the story of a man who is beaten up on the road to Damascus and left for dead. Three people see the man but it was only the third person who helped - the person who you would least expect. The first two religious men just walked passed him.
In this day and age, there are lots of opportunities for us to help others who may be in need or may be less fortunate than ourselves. I would like to think that I would help someone in need - that I would be the third stranger going out of my way to help someone. While I studied Psychology at uni, I heard of a story where a woman was attacked and killed on the street and no one did anything. It was just the other day that I read in the news that a woman was a hit by number of vehicles and no one stopped to do anything. We question - how can these things happen? We would like to think that we would step in. But today I had a very strange experience.
As I was walking back to my car after a meal, I could hear someone yelling at me. Being a dark, winter's night, my first thought was to rush back to my car. As I reached the other side of the road, I realised the person yelling was a man in need. Before I could do anything, I realised he was now yelling angrily at me. I asked him if he was okay and he yelled no and continued to call me names. I then chose to leave before the situation became hostile.
You see, in this day and age, you hear of stories where good deeds don't go unpunished. You hear stories of people who house people in need in their homes and then end up being killed by these same people. Or people who lend a helping hand and that friendship ends up being abused. So now a few hours later I'm wondering what should I have done. Should I have helped, possibly putting myself in harm's way? Or was I right to initially make sure I was safe first?
To be honest, I don't think there is a right answer. Not every good deed goes unpunished and sometimes the problem is we are unwise in the decisions we make when helping people. Or sometimes we do have to risk it all to help people. I know for myself, my help has backfired because I don't always establish boundaries. In any which case, we should never be afraid to help others but we need to use wisdom in doing so - remembering that it's not a perfect science.
We've all got dreams. We've all got visions. But what do we do with them? Do we pursue those dreams? Do we pursue those visions?
If I'm honest, I feel like I have hit a brick wall in terms of what I want to achieve. Not because I have obstacles in my way. Well not external ones anyway. The only thing that is stopping me is...me. It's not that I haven't got dreams and visions. Creating a vision board is my favourite part of the journey! But it is completing the task which is the challenge. Arguably, it is starting the task - but how hard is it to sign up to the gym when you plan to get fit? How hard is it to buy healthy food when you plan to change your diet? How hard is it to buy paint when you plan to redecorate?
It isn't necessarily starting the task which is the challenge, but keeping momentum. Consistency is key. Many of us, including me, do not see our dreams and visions take form because of consistency.
Before 2017 is over- what dreams did you start that you did not finish? Are there any that you have started that you can complete this year or at least create the momentum for next year?
Here are for a few things that can help you to build momentum:
- Start - Many times I don't start something because I fear i won't finish it. But you don't know until you try.
- Share - Tell somebody about your dreams and visions, but also ask them to hold you accountable. This has to be someone you trust who you know will tell you the truth - someone who will encourage you when you want to give up.
- Push - (I kept trying to think of something beginning with 's', but I struggled! - Keep going. Invest in your dreams everyday. It takes 21 days to form a habit, so keep going until your dreams are complete!
, Luke Barnett highlights the importance of dreaming big. Referencing Walt Disney, he highlights that everything starts with a dream. This shows us how important and how great dreams are, but we can't let it stop there. Our dreams should take us somewhere - they should take us beyond where we are. Luke Barnett is an example of someone who not only dreams big, but also acts on his dreams. Many people reference Walt Disney's dreams, and are amazed about how everything started with a dream that he had. 
