In life, there’s only so much “stuff” you can manage before things you thought mattered fall by the wayside or slip through the cracks. You mean well, but there’s only so much you can do! If you have dreams you want to work on, and feel committed to working on, the very first thing you need to do is look at your life and begin designing it so that you have room for them.
So take a look. Take a good look. Look at all the things that go on in your life. Look at your schedule, your family, your friends, your creative and fun pastimes, work commitments, and commitments to your community. Find all the things that you have going on, and commit them to paper. If you’re like most people, the reality of that list will amaze you. If you often or even sometimes feel overwhelmed by all you have going on, you’re either reaching, or have reached your capacity. When you’re at that place, you simply can’t bring anything new in, without getting rid of something first. If you’ve been struggling to find time to work on your dreams, now you know why!
To clear some of what’s there before you can get to higher ground, simplifying is key. While you can simplify in many different ways, one primary way deals with your environment. You want it to support you and your dreams while remaining clutter free. “Clutter,” in this case, doesn’t just refer to the things you have lying around in a disorganized fashion—although this kind of clutter matters! It refers to anything that is cluttering up your life and preventing you from having what you really want.
Consider starting this phase of designing your environment with something as simple as clearing off your desk, cleaning out your drawers, or organizing your closets. It’s amazing what having the order and additional physical space does to allow you the mental space to continue creating and reaching for your dreams. See the resources at the bottom of this article for some tools you might find helpful.
Similarly, if there are more personal issues keeping you from being clear about what your dream will look like, or about how you’ll have the time to get it, clear them out of your way. A great coach can help with that.
Sometimes, we get stuck by saying “yes” to things that don’t have great meaning to us but that we think we “should” do. Make room for your dreams by getting rid of at least some of the “shoulds” you’ve committed to. Perhaps the greatest gift you can give to yourself right now is to quit something that no longer serves you. If there is something that you don’t have to do or don’t want to do, or committed to because you “should” have, consider giving the people/group you’ve committed to notice, and letting it all go. If something new crosses your path that you don’t have to or want to do, simply say, “No, thank you.”
Over the next month, work on these areas of your life, simplifying and creating space for your dreams. With the space for them, all the other actions you will take toward realizing your dreams will be so much easier!
