So how did that feel?

How long has it been since you allowed yourself to think about questions like that?  Was it a little scary?  Maybe you’re afraid to get your hopes up?

It’s okay.  Keep going.  Just let your mind wander.

Now, start to think through some more specific areas of your ideal life.

- Where do you live?  What does it look like? What is the weather like?
- What do you do? Do you work? Do you volunteer?
- Where do you make an impact?
- What are your relationships like?
- Picture a family gathering. Who’s there? How do you interact?
- What are your hobbies? How do you keep growing as a person?
- How is your physical health? How do you feel?
- What activities do you participate in?

Make notes about each of these areas as well.  Again, don’t worry about perfecting your responses; just get your thoughts down in writing.

Do you feel it?

Do you feel your dreams waking up again?  Can you feel your passion coming back?

Great! You’re on the right track.

Maybe you remember doing an exercise like this when you were younger.  Or maybe you’ve even done something like this more recently.  But you probably left out the most important step. For many years, I know I did. I was addicted to conferences and books, always looking for the next silver bullet or big idea. While continuously growing and learning is a good thing, that’s not really what I was doing. I looked to copy what made others seemingly successful and happy, paying little attention to what was unique about me. I also didn’t bother peeling back the onion to see if those I was copying were really successful or happy. In fact, many were neither.

Interested in knowing what my silver bullet was? I’ll tell you Monday.