[Viral Now] How to Make Living the Dream Life Possible

How many times have you looked at certain people around you and thought how lucky they are to be living the dream life? How do they get everything they want, and I don’t - you might have wondered? Well, living the dream life is not about luck as much as it about hope, commitment and patience. No one just magically gets to “live the dream”. People who are living their dream have reached that place with consistent efforts, hard work and fearlessness and you can too. So, start today by making small changes in your life that are sure to set you up for success. Here are 11 ways you can make living the dream life possible:

1. Know What You Want

Many of us spend more time complaining about our lives rather than figuring out what we actually want. Firstly, it is okay to not know what you want. While there are people with clear cut goals, there are others who discover theirs with time. What’s important is making conscious efforts in discovering what your heart desires. So, give these questions a thought – What makes you happy? What are your interests? What does success mean to you? What do you want from life? What are your priorities? What do you want to change in your life? Who do you admire? These are a few questions that will help you figure out your goals and desires better. Write the answers down and keep building on them till you know what you want. After all, the first step in living the dream life is discovering the dream. Isn't it? Still not quite sure what you really want? This article can help you: How to Get Motivated and Be Happy Every Day When You Wake Up

2. Have a Plan

Now that you know what you want, the next step is to devise a plan to make it happen. Why plan, you ask? Well, we all know how one day we are our motivated best and the very next day, we are back to being lazy. Here’s why having a plan helps – it reminds you of your dream and keeps you motivated. So, break down your dream to smaller, actionable parts and set achievable goals for yourself. No, not the 5-year plan but the smaller ones like the 1 year, 6 months, 3 months and 1 month plans. Setting smaller targets will help you reach the larger goal progressively. Write your goals down with respect to your personal and professional life, be as precise as possible and lay out actionable steps for each of them.

3. Take Consistent Action

Consistency is the key to achieving what you want and living the dream life. However, being consistent is not easy. There will be days when you will begin to lose patience and want to give up and that’s completely understandable. On such days, take time out and give yourself a break. Once you feel better, get back on track because everything you do is a building block and will take you closer to your goal. Whenever you feel disillusioned, revisit your goal and let it motivate you to keep going.

4. Track Progress

It’s important to track your progress regularly to ensure you are on the right path. You can take to journals, calendars and apps to keep a record of your progress and assess it.((Finer Minds: 5 Ways To Overcome Perfectionism And Be Happier)) For the times you feel you didn’t achieve your goal, keep a note of what went wrong and learn from those mistakes. Focus on making progress rather than obsessing over perfection. Most importantly, remember to celebrate your achievements and give yourself credit for your successes because you wholly deserve it.

5. Be Open to Failure

Life is unpredictable. You can plan all you want but also know that life won’t always go the way you planned it. You are bound to be met with some unforeseen circumstances or failures along the way so be prepared for them all. Embrace failure and don’t fear it because it’s better to try and fail than to never try at all. The key is to not take failure personally. Instead, use failures as an opportunity to learn and grow. When you become better at failing, you develop a sense of fearlessness which helps you get out of your comfort zone, take risks and reach closer to your goal.

6. Stay Away from Negativity

From your self-depreciating thoughts to people who see the bad in everything – negativity is all around you. In order to not get stressed and bogged down by these thoughts, you need to develop zero tolerance to negativity. Sometimes one negative thought or comment can destroy all your efforts and drain you out. So learn to identify such people or circumstances and set healthy boundaries to maintain your sanity. Whenever you feel low, turn to doing things that distract you or make you happy like playing a sport, listening to music or even talking to someone who can make you feel better. Whatever it is, don’t harbor negative feelings – the faster you shake them off, the better.

7. Surround Yourself with Positive People

People around you have the power to influence you in many ways. Having the right kind of people around is extremely essential for your growth and development. For instance, someone who is around toxic people is bound to have a lower self-esteem and be forever stressed. What you need is happy, encouraging and supportive people; those who can guide you, lift up your spirits and help you maintain a positive frame of mind. So, always surround yourself with those who positively influence your life and don’t hesitate to cut ties with people who make you feel miserable.

8. Believe in Yourself

In order to be living the dream life, you need to first believe in yourself. However ‘impossible’ your dream seems or regardless of what people tell you – if that’s what you want, don’t be afraid to believe in the fact that you will make it happen. When you are finding it hard to retain your belief, visualize yourself having achieved that dream and condition your mind to act as if it’s happened. You will be surprised to see how much strength you can derive from this small exercise. So, cut out all the negative self-talk and don’t worry about what others think because the day you move ahead with conviction, nothing can stop you from achieving success and living your dream.

9. Focus on What You Can Control

Sometimes when your mind is going places and leaving you stressed, take a deep breath, stop thinking and eliminate all the unnecessary thoughts. Unproductive and unnecessary thoughts do nothing but act as deterrents, leaving you overwhelmed and upset. At such times, just focus on the things that are in your control and forget about the rest. You need to accept the fact that there are things that are beyond your control and there is no need to waste your energy obsessing over them.

10. Stop Comparing Yourself to Others

Talking about ‘unproductive’, comparing yourself to others is another unproductive thought pattern that has never done anyone any good. In the time of social media, it sure is difficult to not compare your life to that of others. A classmate’s LinkedIn update is enough to get you wondering what you are doing with your life. Similarly, reading about a colleague’s vacation in some exotic location fills you with envy. Every time you make negative comparisons and feel terrible, consciously stop yourself. Everyone’s journey is different, and life is not a race. Compare yourself to yourself and work towards making progress. That’s all that matters.

11. Stop Making Excuses

“I’ll start exercising tomorrow”, “I’m too old for this”, “I’m waiting for the right time”, “When XYZ happens, I’ll start” – how many times have you found yourself giving such excuses? These excuses are holding you back and preventing you from getting results. So, stop giving yourself excuses, overcome your fears and act on your plan – that is the only way you will make progress.

The Bottom Line

Life is short, and you certainly must not waste your life living someone else’s dream. Years later when you look back at your life, you want to be left smiling rather than be filled with regrets. In order to make that happen, start with believing in your dream. Living the life of your dreams does not come to a ‘fortunate few’. It comes to all those who diligently work towards turning their dreams into reality. So, make that choice and nothing can stop you from living the dream life.

More Resources About Motivation

• Is It Really Better to Step Out of Your Comfort Zone?
• How to Start Over and Reboot Your Life When It Seems Too Late
• What Motivates You And How to Always Stay Motivated
• Do You Have to Give Everything Up to Get a Fresh Start?

Source: Lifehack.org