How do you achieve anything you want in life and accomplish your dreams? It’s not as hard as you may think, and is as simple as breaking your wildest dreams into manageable habits that you repeat daily. I’m going to teach you how to effectively use habits to create your dream life in ways you probably haven’t heard of before.
Habits?! We all know what they are… and we hate them because they seem hard and we give up, right? Let’s talk about the power of sticking with your habits today and creating bite-sized, obtainable steps that you do on the daily to get the results you want in your life.
Maybe you want to start a business, get in shape, or travel the world. Let’s first get this out of the way: anything you want is possible. Oftentimes when we think of the thing we want to do, it feels really hard and unobtainable. We are not even able to see ourselves doing that massive thing we want to do because of the seemingly huge gap from where we are to where we want to be.
Let’s take a deep breath and break this down into bite-sized habits we can do every single day to track progress and reach our goals in no time. I’ll tell you how I did it, and how you can too.
How to overcome the resistance and begin on the path to your dreams
For those of you that know me, I’ve wanted to start a blog for the last 3 years… and I didn’t actually write my first article until nearly a year ago. It took me so much time to finally decide on a name and begin cultivating momentum around writing and getting my website up and running. A lot of that was from internal resistance around being heard and expressing my voice into the world.
It took me so long to decide on a name because I was so afraid of getting it wrong, and ultimately being unhappy with my decision. So I made excuses and it fell into the wayside. When I started writing despite having a name solidified, I began to create momentum and the ideas began spinning. Until one day, The Daily Sunday just popped into my brain like a droplet of water from a hidden branch that you didn’t even realize you were standing under.
I’ve also wanted to learn Spanish since visiting Mexico for the first time in 2018. However, I had never really made it a priority until 2020, the year of making things happen that previously fell to the wayside.
1. Get clear: what do you want and why do you want it?
Forget the how for now, and define your what and your why. It’s important to get clear about what you’re doing in the first place. Why are you writing a blog or learning a new language? For me, I want to help others create their dream lifestyles around what lights them up, and live life on their own terms.
I want to learn a new language so I can connect with more people on this planet and acclimate easier into Spanish speaking countries. I want to travel easier and feel more capable alone. Those are my personal reasons. Write down your reasons, and let them be the fuel that ignites your fire on the cloudy days where you feel like cocooning away into a giant hot dog made of blankets.
2. Implement imperfect action
So…pick a name, and pivot if needed. Use this metaphorically for anything standing in the way of you beginning. The momentum gained from taking imperfect action will allow more resources to flow into your awareness. It’s as simple as this, what you focus on expands. Wondering how to manifest? Check out Demystifying Manifestation: The Practical Guide To Attract Anything.
We often think that we have to have everything figured out before taking the tiniest step forward towards our dreams. We get so caught up in perfection, we don’t even end up trying. It’s the never-ending battle of the inner critic that keeps us from taking the first step.
“What if no one likes this?” “What if I’m not good enough?” “What if I’m wasting my time?” Be quiet, Bertha. Take a seat in the back and hush, will ya?
3. Make it a part of your routine
Get specific with your time and create a routine every single day or week that you stick to until you get to your goal. Need tools and tricks? Check out The Best Time Management Hacks.
Maybe it’s only 1 hour a day, right after you wake up. Or 2 hours, 3 days a week. Or, once a week for 4 hours. Pick the days, make the time, and hold yourself accountable! Before you know it, you’ll be looking back on your progress and wondering why you didn’t start sooner.
On the other side of resistance are your dreams
Picture your fear as a huge brick wall. You can’t see what’s on the other side of it, but feel excited at the prospect of getting a sneak peek. You one day decide to climb the wall and suddenly see a vast landscape of mountains, rivers, butterflies, and a giant bucket of gold. Yup, we’re talking about your dreams here. You gotta trust and climb, trust and climb. Until you start to create momentum that gets you to the other side.
As for me, very recently I had my first session with a personal trainer. It took me months to finally commit to my own physical health, after having a consistent running schedule in quarantine, things got shaken up after arriving in a foreign country where sidewalks are uneven disasters waiting to happen.
Of course, there was resistance. A lot of it. I didn’t want to get strong because part of me liked taking the easy route and doing nothing. I had a choice to continue to stuff my face with delicious mexican food and have my only form of physical activity be swimming in the pool and riding my scooter, or to actually do something about it.
Going back to your why…
What did I want and why did I want it? I wanted to feel better mentally and physically through physical exercise, plain and simple.
I put the intention out there and the universe delivered a personal trainer recommended by a then stranger who said he found a guy that was the “best thing that happened to him in Mexico”. I mean, I couldn’t take that lightly… so I decided to find out for myself… (and if you’re curious, he is a pretty awesome guy from the midwest who can yell at me while still sounding nice)
Making a commitment to show up 3 times a week with someone else forces me to show up, even when I want to sleep in. This is why accountability is so important. Tell someone your plans and ask them to hold you accountable. Find an accountability buddy who is trying to achieve a similar goal, and be there to support one another.
This is an example of overcoming resistance and leaning into the fear, the fear that’s going to give you the results you want. Hello, abs.
So… on the other side of resistance is everything you ever want. Once you start walking, everything you need will come and support you if you look for it.
Set your intentions, get clear about your WHY, and start setting habits every day that support your goals. Read about my miracle morning routine for everyday success!
Make The Mundane Fun
Does anyone like brushing their teeth, really? Not I. So I make it into a fun ritual, and dance for those 2.5 minutes. It gets me into a good headspace where I’m ready to take on the world, or go to bed with a smile on my face.
This is a small example, but you can carry this into the things that you don’t want to do that will support your success. Try and put on your favorite playlist while working out, or give yourself a reward after working on your project for 2 hours a day.
I face resistance around writing, so I make it an event where I find a cute coffee shop and order my favorite espresso drink. It becomes a cozy ritual I then look forward to.
Your environment creates your reality… and vice versa
Put the things you want to do more of where you can see them. If we want to eat healthy meals but there’s oreo cookies calling your name on the kitchen counter (I see you, dad…) are we going to reach for that tomato starting to get slightly moldy hidden behind the 3 week old head of cauliflower in the back of the fridge? No. We’re going to eat the cookies, because they are right in front of our faces.
So, put your running shoes by the door. Put that fruit in the basket on your table. Clean your apartment so you feel at peace when you enter your house. Buy flowers and brighten up your space so it feels warm. Our exterior determines our interior state and vice versa. When there’s clutter everywhere, we can’t think clearly.
What is right in front of your face is harder to ignore.
Conclusion
Little habits every day will create your dream reality. Even if it’s 5 or 10 minutes a day, keep it consistent. Habits take about 17 days to form, and just a few to break. So, let today be the day you give yourself your word, and keep it. This is how self-trust is formed, and our wildest dreams are accomplished.
And just in case you forgot… you’re not too old, too unimportant, too lazy, too forgetful, too this or that… you are enough and completely capable of anything you set your mind to.
Ok, sis? Let’s get those wheels in motion. What have you been wanting to do but have been putting off? Drop a comment below.
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Christine is a twenty-something coffee-obsessed solo traveler from a small town on the east coast of the US. She sold everything 4 years ago to follow her curiosity around the world.
As a passionate creative entrepreneur & digital nomad, she has explored it all! Her mission is to help others create and live their dream lifestyles aligned with their values and ultimately, create more sundays in their everyday.
Way cool! Some very valid points! I appreciate you writing this article and the rest of the site is really good. Enriqueta Putnem Caravette