Make a Dream List
Everyone should have their own dream list. Instead of firm goal setting or setting resolutions, make a list of the things you’d love to do or start doing in 2013. A new year allows for a fresh start and a special invitation to be bold, brave, and different. What would you really love to do in 2013? What would you like to see? Who will you be and who will you be with in 2013?
In a Master Dream List, keep a running list of everything and anything you’d ever like to do, be, have (including financial goals), or achieve, and any place you’d like to go. You don’t have to quantify it. You don’t have to justify it. You don’t have to believe it is realistic or achievable in this lifetime. You don’t have to limit yourself or your dreams in anyway. Just write them down.
If you think better through images, search for images that inspire each item on your dream list and make a collage. Wikihow shows you how to make a dream board in 6 easy steps.
The next step should be the same regardless of the process. Frame your list/collage/board or place it somewhere you can see everyday. Don’t let these lovely ideas get buried in stress. Keep them alive by digging into them every day, even if it’s just 5 minutes. You might bring your entire list to life in 2013, or maybe just 1 item. Even better, a new idea might come from the combination of several dream list items. Here is an example:
My 2013 Dream List
Introduce Yoga or Meditation into my life.
Read 1 book a month or more.
Bring the kids to Europe.
Buy only essential things.
Take a last minute family road trip.
Be even more with even less.
Hit the tennis ball harder.
Do meaningful work.
Go to more movies and concerts.
Start a blog.
Learn to surf.
Flip a house for profit.
Turn family photos into beautiful albums.
Your list can grow or shrink as the year goes on. Don’t hold yourself to exactly how you felt and just what you thought the day you wrote your list. Things change, you change, your list will change and your life will change.
Once in a while, review your Master Dream List and see if anything pops out as something you should spend more time on and start to work toward accomplishing it. Sketch out a rough plan for achieving it, and commit to taking the first steps. Or look at the list and say, “Why in the world did I think THAT was important at one time? Use your list to fuel your creative pursuits and to encourage routine breaking behavior. Let your dream list remind you what is most important in your life.
