How to create your dream life

woman sitting looking over mountain range — Photo by Denys Nevozhai on Unsplash

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”
Mahatma Gandhi

What do you think of when you hear the words ‘the life of your dreams’? Winning the lottery? Becoming super successful? Being in a loving relationship? Travelling the world?

Whatever springs to mind for you, I’m sure it’s something that makes you feel happy.

So, if you’re looking for a quick way to get started creating the life you dream of living, ask yourself this question.

“What does a happy life look like for you?”

Step 1: (10 mins)

Look at the key life areas listed below. Jot down as many answers as you can under any of the headings that apply to you.

What does a happy life look like for you in:

Your occupation or work?
Your relationships?
Your financial situation?
Your health?
Your spirituality?
Your leisure time?

If it helps, think about what makes you happy now or what would make you happier?

Two quick tips here.

Tip 1: Don’t overthink this. Just jot all your ideas down. You can always change them later as your thoughts evolve, but for now, just get started.

Tip 2: Don’t write anything down that requires someone else to change to make you happy. Only write down actions you yourself can take. Your happiness cannot depend on other people. For example, if you want your relationship with a family member to be better, don’t write down ‘I wish s/he would come to visit more often’. Instead, write down what you could do to improve or deal with the situation better.

You may want to turn all these goals into a visual to illustrate ‘the life of your dreams’. We’ll show you how to create a dream board in another how-to article, but for now just get the ideas written down.

man cartwheeling on beach and text says feel great about weight

open plan barn conversion with text dream home

Here are a few ideas from our dream board.

Step 2: (10 mins)

Look at each of the goals you wrote down. Jot down one action for each goal that you could take that will move you forward in the general direction of this outcome. These actions should be baby steps. Little steps you can take. Actions you can do, not things you will put off doing!

Tip: Don’t over-analyse or start planning how it will all work out. Don’t fret over which is the best step. Taking one step forward, even if it’s not the best or most productive step, is better than doing nothing. So just list any actions that could move you towards your goal.

Now, choose 3 actions you will take next. Aim to do them in the next 48 hours. You decide which steps. Make them doable. When you’ve done these, choose the next 3 baby steps.

Step 3: (5 mins/day)

Each day (or as many days a week as you can, but you don’t need to do this more than once a day), take one of the areas (health, finances etc). Remind yourself what you wrote down. Then set yourself a timer for no more than 4 minutes. Close your eyes and picture yourself when you’ve achieved all that you’ve written down for this area.

Imagine, you’re there, you’ve done it, you’ve achieved it! Fantastic, amazing, success! How do you feel? How are you celebrating? What difference has this made to your life?

Tip: This exercise is not about picturing how you’re going to achieve it. Skip all of that. Fast forward instead to when you’ve done it and really keep your focus on this end goal.

So, to recap:

Step 1: Write down all the things that make you happy and would make you happier

Step 2: List 3 baby steps you can take towards your goal

Step 3: Visualise how you will feel when you’ve achieved your goal

There you have it. Three super simple steps to creating the life of your dreams.

Let go of how it’s actually going to happen. Just take the baby steps you can, from where you’re at right now, with what you have….and you’ll be amazed at how your life evolves over time into the life of your dreams.

The trick is learning to maintain an unwavering focus upon your desired end result, your completed dream, the “finish line,” without insisting upon or contemplating its means of attainment, no matter how logical, obvious, or tempting it may seem.
The Universe