How to Start Living Your Dream Life

For such a long time, I used to agonize that my life was not ‘starting’ yet. I was so frustrated that I was in classes or working a job I didn’t love or not getting the exact opportunities I wanted. It drove me crazy to feel like I was in a constant waiting period. But one day, I realized that there was an antidote to this feeling: acceptance and gratitude. If I could just accept exactly where I was, at this moment, then I could be grateful for where I am. There will always be moments where we want more or feel like we are not enough, but when we start to realize that we are exactly where we need to be, right now, we can start to live our dream lives right where we are. But it’s hard to find that acceptance, and being grateful can be tough when you’re on a rough start. So here is a technique I found that helps me when I am starting to feel out of touch with where I am. 

The first step is to recognize where you are. Pull out a paper and pencil and write down every single thing that you are grateful for in this present moment. Start with the little things like clothes, food, a roof, and then go into the bigger ones like a job, school, the ability to do what you want every day, a car. Get really specific, are you grateful for your ability to write great papers? Are you grateful that you have an internship interview next week? Are you grateful that your teacher came to class to teach today? Are you grateful that the sun shone in your window this morning? Tap into things you can really visualize in your gratitude. 

The next most important thing to do is recognize how far you’ve come. Take a moment and think about yourself 3-5 years ago. Pick a time in your life when you wish you could have had some comfort from your older self. When I do this, I think about myself right when I was about to graduate high school. I was so confused and had no idea what life path I wanted to go on. Take a long minute or two and remember how you felt at that time. Now, write down a list of things you wish you could tell your past self from that time. These things could range from “Stop dying your hair” to “Trust your mom’s judgment more.” Really put some thought into this, and consider what you wish you knew then. I know it can be challenging to think about, but the more effort you put into this exercise, the more you’ll receive from it. After you’ve written down all of the advice for your past self, think about reasons your past self would be proud of you. Is your past self proud that you graduated high school? Have a significant other? Grew your hair out? Learned how to dress way cuter? Learned something you never expected to? Take some time and write all of this out. Your past self would absolutely be proud of you, trust me. 

Next put everything aside and visualize your highest self. This could be you in 5 years, 10 years, 20 years. Think of who you are and everything you embody. How do you dress? What do you do? Where do you live? Really dig into who this person is and why you want these things for yourself. Breathe life into this vision of yourself. Now, write a letter to them. Write down every question you have for your future self, every comment you want to make about the way you live now, and anything you would have to say to you in 5 years. Really put some thought into this. 

Finally, write down everything you want to do to get to the place where you saw yourself. From quitting the job you hate to working harder in your classes. Even the smallest things like cleaning your room. Write it all down. After you’ve done all this journaling, go back and re-read what you’ve done. What you’ll notice is: you are exactly who you need to be, right now, to