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Creating your dream life can be intimidating and honestly, pretty scary. Add in a family, turning 30, and not sure where to pivot and it’s easy to give up. Having a strategy can help ease stress and give you a clear direction for how to get your dream life.
We all have that dream life and a dream version of ourselves. When I graduated from high school I had ZERO clue what I wanted my life to look like. I knew I wanted to be rich, travel, and be my own boss.
There was no timeline, there was no plan, and I had no direction. Eventually, I had my first child and let life happen to me. I worked various entry-level retail jobs and tried multiple MLMs until I landed my office job.
It wasn’t until I knew what I didn’t want my life to look like and the birth of my second child, that I started creating my dream life. That is when I learned how to make my own dreams a reality.
This post is all about the 15 smart strategies for creating your dream life.
Creating Your Dream Life
1. Seek Out Learning Opportunities
I wholeheartedly believe in taking courses, watching YouTube, or even taking classes to gain more knowledge. No matter what you want your life to look like, there are opportunities to learn more about your field.
I am constantly seeking how to create better engaging content, how to be more productive, and rewatching my blogging/Pinterest courses. There are plenty of paid and FREE opportunities for learning.
There have been plenty of people who have learned photography and started businesses all from watching YouTube. They learned how to navigate Photoshop, take flattering photos, and much more for free.
Always have a passion for learning and reviewing. Never be the smartest person in a room plus, you’ll never be bored.
2. Create a Vision Board
There’s nothing I don’t love about a vision board or even a vision journal. I had a vision board party at the end of 2023 and it’s been keeping me centered and focused. I hung it up in my bedroom and every day asked myself “What 3 goals can I work towards today to make my dream a reality?”
Now, I didn’t start that until the end of April BUT PROGRESS IS PROGRESS! We don’t have shame around here. Your goals don’t have to start on the new year or the first quarter, your new year can be whenever you want.
Your vision board should have pictures, sayings, quotes, and settings you want to see yourself in. No matter how far-fetched the dream seems, put it on your board. Even something simple like creating a skincare routine for yourself should go on your board.
You need to know what your dream life looks like. How else can you set goals if you don’t know what to work toward?
3. Set Clear & Concise Goals
This has to be my absolute favorite (besides creating vision boards) thing to do. Follow the S.M.A.R.T. goal-setting method and plan your goals in manageable chunks.
Goal-Setting Steps:
Psst…Click here to check out the planner that helped me get on track!
4. Create a Tangible Plan
To go off of number 3, after setting up the goals you need to create an action plan. Having actionable steps you can take toward your dreams makes it achievable.
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If you want to become a doctor with their own practice, you need to become a doctor. You have to apply for Med school. Then pass all the classes, and your exams, and go through residency. Begin working at a hospital or someone else’s practice.
Creating your dream life is easy once you have a tangible plan in place. Make sure your plan includes timelines, deadlines, and flexibility.
5. Network & Build Relationships
I am sure you have heard, “It’s not always what you know but who you know.” And it’s 100% true. There have been many jobs that I have gotten because I knew someone already working there. On the flip side of that, there are many jobs that I didn’t get because I didn’t know anyone there.
You never know what opportunities are waiting for you because you went to an event and put yourself out there. I have built a blogging friendship group for accountability and have loved every minute of it. Social media makes it easier to network and befriend people.
Get your name, services, and/or products out there. You never know what door will open for you next. I challenge you to go out and find the nearest networking event and attend.
6. Find Mentors
Once you have a clear idea of your goals, find someone (or a group) who is where you want to be. Not only does this confirm that this is achievable, but they have already made the mistakes. They can help guide you to your dreams faster.
I am in two Facebook groups and one of them is Bree from Thrive: The Podcast for Bloggers & Influencers and Perfecting Blogging by Sophia. Although, one is not a direct mentor she has given me a blueprint to follow because of her courses. Bree has added to that and given me areas to focus on each quarter.
7. Focus on Personal Growth
Whether you read a blog, look at TikToks, YouTube videos, or take extra classes at a community college always seek personal development. I have adopted healthier habits that allow me to live closer to my dream life.
Personal development gives you the tools and confidence to create (and stick to) better habits. This will allow you to shift your mindset and release you of your self-limiting beliefs.
Current Favorite Reads:
8. Practice Gratitude
This is a simple yet forgotten practice. Be thankful for everything you have while working for what you want.
Practice gratitude every time you reach a milestone. Or when it seems like building your dream life is taking too long. Gratitude goes a long way when you start living your dream life.
9. Embrace Failure
You’re going to fail and the quicker you realize that, the faster you can have your dream life. I am terrified of failure so much so that I failed to try. My life passed me by because I was scared of failing.
I could have been light years ahead of where I am today if I had just gotten comfortable with failing. You only fail when you give up and don’t try.
The most successful people are not successful because they didn’t fail, they didn’t let failure cripple them. Letting the idea of failure keep you from trying ensures you will be nowhere near creating your dream life.
10. Take Action
You will have to leave your comfort zone and take your first step toward your goals. Your brain is wired to keep you “safe”. It doesn’t know what is on the other side when you step out of that zone.
Your brain will want to keep you inside the bubble it knows. But we all know that real growth happens when you force yourself to take action.
Storytime
I was not a very confident girl in high school. I didn’t have the best of luck with guys either. When I was a senior, I decided that I was going to ask this guy to prom with me. It took me weeks to actually take action because I wanted to stay in my quiet comfort zone.
Well, I finally mustered up the courage and asked him. I was gently let down as I wasn’t his type and we politely parted ways. However, I didn’t die (maybe of slight embarrassment) but I survived. I grew that day and carried that lesson with me. And I ended up going with two good friends and had a decent time anyway.
11. Practice Self-Care
As much as I love creating and working towards that millionaire dream, please take breaks. Focus on yourself and have a glass of wine or drink your favorite sparkling water. We live in a hustle culture where you are lazy if you aren’t busy.
Have hobbies that are just for fun. Love yourself and take yourself on a solo date. Don’t let the stress of chasing your dreams eat you alive.
12. Pivot When Needed
Knowing when to pivot can save you heartache. Sometimes your goals are not panning out the way you thought. Or Instagram’s algorithm changed again and now you have to rethink your content strategy.
Currently, Google and its updates are having many bloggers rethink their strategies. You’ll have some bloggers quit, some will get stuck, and others will pivot and ride the wave.
Knowing if and when to pivot can help your dreams weather the storm that life will throw. Don’t let the storms discourage you. Stay focused and tweak when needed.
13. Curate the Content You Consume on Social Media
This is a big one. Social media is never going away. Unless you go off the grid and don’t become a content creator it’s almost impossible to escape.
Tailoring your feed to make you feel inspired, motivated, and empowered is the best thing you can do for yourself. I follow accounts that have similar goals, dreams, and interests as I do.
Following them leaves me feeling like “if they can do it, so can I” and my wildest dreams feel like they are not so wild. You have moms building empires from their homes on their phones. They are creating 6,7-figure businesses from blogs, Instagram, and YouTube.
Make sure you follow inspiring, motivating accounts that leave you feeling good. Doom scrolling and feeling like your life is less than serves no purpose.
14. Shift Your Mindset
Reality is what you perceive it to be. If you believe you’ll never be rich, you are correct. If you believe that you are dumb, you are correct. Creating your dream life requires you to shift your perspective.
For example, if you believe you’ll never be rich, then you will subconsciously make decisions that support that statement. You’ll inevitably prove yourself right. Thus, furthering your belief that you’ll never be rich.
Reading books, listening to podcasts, and learning from others can change your mindset. Whatever you believe in, your subconscious will make sure it happens. Rewiring your thought process is not easy.
For some people, it may require therapy and for others, journaling and/or praying may be enough. If you have limiting beliefs, change them as soon as you can so you don’t sabotage your dream life.
15. Create a Budget
Your dream life has a cost. There are two ways you can go about this to figure out a budget.
You have to create a budget for your current financial situation. You can’t get a handle on your money if you don’t know where it’s going. It helps to know what financial goals to hit to achieve your dream lifestyle.
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The other way is to create a budget for the lifestyle you want to have. Do you want to be able to hire a monthly cleaning service, have your kids take ballet lessons, or take family vacations? Whatever you would want, put in that budget.
Knowing that number is beneficial to know how to build your dream lifestyle. You’ll know what steps and actions to take that align with that figure.
This post was all about 15 smart strategies for creating your dream life.
