Uncovering your dreams, intentionally

Some of us are living day-to-day.
Not in the sense of paycheck-to-paycheck.
In the sense of taking it one day at a time.

An admirable way of living.
Only thinking about the present moment.
If done by choice, it’s worthy of mimicry.

Often it’s done without thinking.
The person lacks ambition, an aim, a dream.
Something to work toward.

Follow your dreams.
Pursue your passions.
To some it comes naturally.
To others it doesn’t.

To the latter, I want to give two pieces of advice.
To uncover the meaning of your life.

1) Do something you haven’t done before.

It’s so simple.
Yet so few do it.

We fall into routines.
On weekdays and on weekends.
Eat the same food.
Visit the same places.
Do the same work.
Hang out with the same people.

Living life that way ensures one thing.
You won’t experience anything new.
You won’t uncover anything new.

Do anything that seems mildly interesting to you.
Spend an hour on it.
Or more, if you want to.

Maybe a new world opens up.
Maybe it doesn’t.

But those new experiences will pop up in a conversation.
Out of nowhere.
And lead to a new opportunity.

They’ll give you some inspiration.
To perform even better at your job.
Or to get another source of income.

That’s the power of new experiences.
When, where and how they will improve your life is unknown.
Just know that they do.

2) Improve yourself.

Some have difficulties trying something new.
Nothing seems interesting.

To those I say: focus on improving yourself.
Grab a piece of paper, a pen and take 5 minutes.
Write down everything you like about yourself.
And everything you don’t like about yourself.
Which aspect do you most want to improve?
Start there.

Another way to go about it: which 5 people do you admire the most?
You don’t have to have a relationship with them.
They can be athletes, celebrities, mentors.
They may even have passed away.
Write down who they are.
Write down which qualities you admire them for.
Look at your list.
Which quality would you most like to have or be known for?
Start there.

Every morning look at that quality you have circled.
Every evening look at it again.
Reflect on how well you’ve done that day.
Only judging yourself based on that quality.
What went well?
What didn’t go well?
How can I exhibit it even better tomorrow?

Do this every day and you’ll be a changed person in a month.
Maybe even in a week.

One thing is certain: we can all find meaning in our life.
A dream to pursue.
And do so while being present mindfully and intentionally.