Do you have a bucketful of unfulfilled dreams and desires?
In the movie The Bucket List, Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson are retired gentlemen who engage in a series of activities—dreams and desires—that they always wanted to do but never got around to it.
Whether we want to admit it or not, our life is but a blip on an endless timeline.
Time does not wait for us to become well prepared.
If we don´t step into action, life will simply pass us by.
What are you waiting for?
Even in the very few minutes it takes to read this article, your opportunity to activate one of your desires will decrease.
But don´t leave yet—finish reading this message and you will be inspired to get on with it.
I agree with Napoleon Hill. Whether you are ready or not, get started now. Fulfillment in life comes from engaging and enjoying your purpose and dreams.
If they are put on hold, you are putting your life on pause.
Here are some examples of delayed dreams and desires.
- For months or years, you have wanted to take upgrade courses to fulfill a new career track but you have never gotten around to it.
- You don´t like your job but have never quit because you fear the unknown. Some individuals have been in that situation for over 20 years. How sad is that!
- You want to travel but other priorities always get in the way.
- You have a list of fun activities that you have always wanted to try but never got around to them—skydiving, waterskiing, scuba diving, snorkeling, and other leisure-related activities.
- You have delayed your health and fitness needs for years. You were going to start walking, working out, going to a gym, or playing with a sports team. What are you waiting for? You are not improving your health simply by thinking about it.
- You had a great business idea but never acted on it.
- You have considered volunteering in your community but you have yet to take action.
If you keep putting your dreams and desires in a bucket, you will lose your connection to them. Like forgotten heirlooms in an attic, they are simply collecting dust and becoming a distant memory.
In the past couple of years, the passing of time and the value of activating dreams NOW became important in our family. With two children quickly approaching their teenage years—a couple months for one, we knew we needed to stop talking and start doing.
As a family, we want to travel the world together but that window is rapidly closing. One of the locations we wanted to visit was Hawaii . . . so 13 months in advance, I booked our travel plans. My wife and I kept the trip a secret from the kids but I am happy to announce that we just returned from one of our best family vacations ever!
We all know that for dreams and desires to become reality, they must be taken from the bucket and put on the table where we can see them!
To put energy behind your dreams, you first must be crystal clear about what you really want. That step is more important than most people think.
In life, your desires are constantly changing. Is your wish list current or does it contain outdated old dreams that are no longer important to you?
In my early 20s, I dreamed of owning exotic sports cars. Well, 2 decades later, that´s no longer one of my desires.
Years ago when I was doing speaking presentations on behalf of Mark Victor Hansen of the Chicken Soup books fame, Mark suggested we all make a Top 100 list of things we wanted to be, do, and have. My list did not quite reach 100.
What about your list?
When was the last time you allowed yourself the privilege of emotionally engaging and documenting your entire list of dreams?
I want to encourage every single person who has gotten this far in this article to set aside 10 to 15 minutes within the next 24 hours to start the Action Steps below.
Don´t underestimate the importance of this process.
Why?
Your dreams contain inspirational and emotional energy for you.
Remember: The dreams and desires must be important in your life today.
Only you can construct this list.
No one else can.
As you begin this step, do not prejudge your possible dreams.
- Many people will exclude desires because of their current life circumstances. Please don´t do that.
- For this to work, you need only know the what—not the how.
- Put everything that comes to mind on your list. You can edit it later.
Think about all the things you would like to be, do, and have.
For too long, many people have stuffed their dreams in the closet.
Well, it´s time to let them out.
When you engage in your life´s dreams, you will be able to contribute the most to yourself and others. That´s what life is about—being fully engaged!
My purpose is to help others discover and live their purpose, both personally and professionally.
That is CRG´s purpose, too. With all its resources, CRG contributes to individuals, families, teams, and organizations to help them live and work on purpose.
I wrote My Source EXPERIENCE JournalTM so individuals would have a self-guided roadmap to confirm their vision, purpose, and desires are in all areas of their life.
If you think this message would be of value to someone you know, pay it forward. Encourage them to live their dreams and desires.
Take the Action Steps below to help you establish and engage your dreams and desires.
It's Time You Acted on Your Dreams and Desires
- Do you have a bucket list of dream and desires?
- Have you put off activating some of your desires? Why? Is it fear, procrastination, or lack of confidence?
- Dreams and desires should include everything you want to
- Be or Become. Such as learning a new hobby, developing a new skill, seeking a new career path, or taking additional courses.
- Do. Are there places you would like to travel? Shows you would like to see? Sites you would like to take in? Activities you have yet to experience?
- Have. You want a new set of golf clubs, a car, home, art, clothing, and so on.
- Set aside 10 to 15 minutes—longer, if needed—to start this process. Brainstorm. Write down everything that comes to your mind. Please do not prejudge anything. Don´t worry if your current situation does not support your goal. Keep your list fresh by reworking this step—often.
- Once your list is made, set aside additional time to review each item on your dream list. Without discounting any desire, carefully consider whether each is what you really want. This review is not about whether you can achieve it but whether you really want to succeed in that area. In the end, only you can determine if something is really important to you.
- Make sure societal or peer pressure has not caused you to alter your list. Some groups pressure their community not to desire any material things; other groups do the opposite. In the end, your dream list must be guilt-free for you and must come from your heart.
- Outline microplans and steps for achieving each of your current dreams and desires.
- Post your list where you can see it. Read it aloud daily. Yes, out loud. The research is clear that voicing your thoughts contributes to their fulfillment.
- Do you know someone who could benefit from this message? Pass it on.
- To assist your personal journey of confirming your dreams and desires, I recommend the following CRG resources.
- Know where you are going by completing My Source EXPERIENCE JournalTM. This 88-page book provides the roadmap and processes to confirm what is most important to you in all areas of your life.
- To understand how your level of self-worth is affecting your success, complete the Self-Worth Inventory.
- Our lives are but a short event in time. Don´t wait for perfect timing or conditions to engage your dreams and desires. Start now.
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Until next time, keep Living On Purpose!.
Ken Keis
For information on CRG Resources, please visit http://www.crgleader.com.
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