25 dreams and desires

On an episode of The Life Coach School that I recently listened to (if you haven't started listening, what are you waiting for?!), Brooke talked about dreams and desires. There were three things that stood out to me:

1. Adults often forget to dream. This is because as soon as we think about a possibility, our brain immediately counters with doubt. So if you say, "I'd really love to go to Italy!" Your brain will immediately ask where the money for that is going to come from. And if you don't push back against your brain, you'll just decide to give up that dream (rather than finding creative ways to get more money). You have to decide to honor your dreams/desires instead of honoring your doubts if you want to actually pursue those dreams and desires.
2. You don't have to justify your desires to anyone else. People are always going to judge, and you can't control other people, so don't try to. Just make sure that YOU like your reasons for your desires, and then it doesn't matter what the haters think. So if you want a super expensive car because you like the way it looks and you like the way it drives and you have fun in that car, just make sure you like those reasons. If you want a super expensive car to show off and be seen as better than others, make sure you like those reasons. If you like the reasons, go for it! If you analyze and decide you don't like the reasons, reassess the desire.
3. Desire from a place of abundance, not scarcity. People often feel guilty for wanting things when they have an overall good life. If they already have a steady job, a good relationship, and a house, they might feel like, "Who am I to want anything more?" But why not want more? The trick is to want from abundance. So let's go back to the Italy desire -- If you want to go to Italy because you think you'll find your happiness in Italy, that's wanting from a place of scarcity; you feel you lack happiness and that Italy will give you the happiness you desire. But if you are very happy with everything you have in life and you want to go to Italy to experience another culture and to see a beautiful place -- and you know you can be happy with or without the Italy experience -- that is wanting from a place of abundance; you don't NEED Italy, but you want it -- and that's okay!

Really, just listen to the episode. Brooke always says it better than I do! :)

But anyway, she encouraged her listeners to think about 25 different dreams and desires they have, so here are mine! Maybe I'll do them all, maybe I won't. But if I don't, it won't be because I can't; it will simply be because I've changed my mind about wanting that.

1. Go on a fancy vacation to Paris with Russ; fly first class.
2. Have a close group of girlfriends.
3. Take yearly girls trips with said girlfriends.
4. Be a successful sleep consultant.
5. Have a third garage space specifically as a shop for Russ.
6. Find or create and then attend a weekly adult dance class -- hip hop and/or contemporary.
7. Maintain a weight of 125 or less (not quite sure what my body's "ideal" weight is as I haven't gotten there yet).
8. Pay someone to make healthy meals for my family each night.
9. Completely pay off a house early.
10. Live and work on a farm or ranch for a few months (or more if I really love it!).
11. Live in a foreign country for a few months.
12. Visit all 50 states with Russ.
13. Be able to do a handstand (indefinitely).
14. Have a pool while I still have young kids.
15. Find a way for Russ to work from home, for only a few hours/week.
16. Learn to ride a horse; own a horse.
17. Take at least one yearly trip with my family. Though if we're really dreaming, I'd say more like one quarterly trip.
18. Finish the garden spot in the yard.
19. Learn to garden.
20. Potty train Ada before she's two.
21. Get rid of excess STUFF. (We're not talking true minimalism, but a version of minimalism.)
22. Get into a groove -- set up daily, weekly, and monthly routines to help me get done what I need to, while also planning fun, enrichment, and progress into those routines.
23. Exercise daily.
24. Lower my treat intake and be happy about doing so 😂
25. Go on weekly dates with Russ.