It’s taken me five decades to get even close to living my dream fully.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve:
Lived aspects of my dream all along (living all over the U.S., doing work I love, sharing my time with precious friends, family, dogs and cats).
Experienced some seriously dreamy moments (watching sunrises, learning I’d won a national writing competition, drinking delicious and super strong wine backstage at a Rolling Stones concert in Germany).
Checked off more items on my big dream bucket list than remain (staying in a lighthouse, interviewing Mick Jagger, visiting Italy).
But right now is likely the closest I’ve been to having multiple facets of my life aligned with what I consider to be their ideal state.
How about you?
What big dreams are you living?
Which elude you?
What’s holding you back?
What dreams did you possibly have as a child that could still hold meaning but have been forgotten along the way?
What dreams have you given up on?
And what dreams lurk deep inside you that would love for you to discover them and put them into motion??
Well, your dream time has arrived! What better day to explore your big dreams than on World Dream Day? Celebrated on September 25 each year, this special day is dedicated to recognizing the importance of dreams and encouraging us all to pursue them.
Explore Your Dreams Intentionally
Here are 11 ways you can celebrate World Dream Day:
Reflect on Your Dreams: Spend some time in introspection. Reflect on your dreams, both the ones you've achieved and those you're still working toward. Consider what your dreams mean to you and why they are important.
Set New Goals: Use World Dream Day as an opportunity to set new goals or revisit existing ones. Write down your aspirations and the steps you need to take to achieve them.
Share Your Dreams: Share your dreams and aspirations with friends, family or on social media as you're more likely to take action and be energized by others' support. Encourage others to do the same.
Support a Dreamer: Offer encouragement and support to someone you know who is pursuing their dreams. Your words of support and belief in their abilities can be incredibly motivating.
Create a Vision Board: Make a vision board by collecting images, quotes and symbols that represent your dreams and goals. Display it in a prominent place where you can see it regularly.
Engage in Creative Expression: Use your creativity to express your dreams. Write a poem, paint a picture, compose a song or create any form of art that represents your big goals.
Volunteer or Give Back: Consider volunteering your time or resources to organizations that help others achieve their dreams or work toward a greater cause. Giving back is a meaningful way to celebrate.
Watch Inspiring Movies or Read Books: Spend time watching inspirational movies or reading books that revolve around the theme of pursuing one's dreams. Share your top recommendations with others.
Journal About Your Dreams: Dedicate time to journaling about your dreams and aspirations. Write about your progress, setbacks and any insights you gain along your journey.
Take a Step Toward Your Dreams: Use this day as a catalyst to take action toward your dreams. Whether it's sending an email, articulating your next steps or starting a new project, taking one step forward is a powerful way to celebrate.
Meditate: Meditation is my favorite tool for generating clarity and inspiration. Spend time meditating to quiet your mind and connect with your inner dreams and desires.
Your Dream Job
Let’s turn to the professional side of your life for a moment. How dream-job like is your work? Research says that odds are your current work may be lacking some dreamy qualities. According to a survey conducted of 1200 workers by JobSage last year, only 1 in 10 Americans has a dream job. The study also revealed that 51% of Americans are indifferent to, or even unhappy with, their current roles, and 7 in 10 don’t think they’re on track to get their dream job.
These stats aren’t good for anybody! Finding work that’s an excellent fit is one of the most important endeavors we will ever undertake. Work has a significant impact on nearly every aspect of our lives: our health, stress levels, personal relationships, finances, confidence, enthusiasm, joy, engagement and energy.
Yet sadly, too few people look forward to the start of their workweek. Some even suffer from the Sunday blues — I sure did!! — which may give you insight on what inspired the name of my business Reimagine Monday! But when you are in work that’s a great fit, you spend your time in ways that bring you tremendous joy. You feel aligned with your values and goals. You and your ideas are heard and respected. You make the mark you want to make.
When this happens, you thrive! And when you thrive, your friends and family benefit, your community benefits, and the world becomes that much better. It’s this possibility that drives my work as a Dream-Job Career Coach. I’ve helped hundreds of clients and students land and thrive in what they consider to be their ideal work scenario, and if you’d like to discover what yours is, reach out to me.
It’s Dream Time!
While World Dream Day is a one-day event designed to remind us how important it is to cultivate our dreams, remember we always have the ongoing opportunity to nurture and pursue your dreams. Let’s use this day as a springboard to be quite intentional about our dreams, discovering them, acting on them and keeping them alive throughout the year and beyond.
Trie Angeleva, MA, MA
Mindful Reimagineur
As a Mindful Dream-Job Career Coach, Owner of Planet Reimagine and with Manhattan as her backdrop, Trie thrives when collaborating with others to reimagine their life, work, leadership or organization. She developed and taught Career Success Preparation for The Media School at Indiana University, where she taught 21 classes. A 30-year vegetarian, adopted-dog mom and travel-happy meditator and yogi, Trie is a former CIO and COO and founder of Embark and The Love Monday Method. She has two Master's degrees, six coaching certifications and a certificate in Executive Leadership from Cornell University. Connect with Trie at trie@reimaginemonday.com.