During any life or work transition, it is important to keep dreams alive. Dreams give us hope and incite us into action. They add color to our existence and, when shared, they also add richness to our relationships.
Keep dreams alive during the planning phase of your next transition. Don’t get so caught up in “what ifs” or “if onlys” that you fail to dream about what fulfills you at this time in your life. You may need to have numerous conversations with those you love to create a happy lifestyle for everyone involved, but its success depends on you sharing your hopes, dreams, and aspirations.
To keep dreams alive, you may need to talk about
• What you would like to do about work
• Where you will live
• What your home will look like
• How you will save money
• How you would like to spend money
• What kind of activities you want to pursue on your own
• What activities you would like to share with your partner or loved ones
• How you will take care of your health
• What will encourage you to grow
• How you give back to your community
Depending on what transition you are facing—a move, a new job, marriage, a new baby, grad school, changes in your health or the health of a family member, downsizing at work that requires you to recareer, retirement—you may have other important topics to discuss. Keep the conversations going.
Gail Devers, three-time Olympic gold medalist, said, “Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe.” I agree.
Believing in yourself and in those you love is a huge part of achieving a desired outcome. How else can you keep your dreams alive?
Be honest with yourself as you consider
• What you really want out of life
• What values are important to you
• Which of those values actually guide your decision-making
• What skills you already have that will bring you closer to your dreams
• Life areas, topics, and decision points where you and your partner agree
• What you and your love one(s) need to compromise on
• How best to resolve differences of opinion about dreams and goals
You can keep dreams alive during times of transition by sharing them with others and writing them down also brings them to life. However, if you find things are not going as you had hoped, use this as an opportunity to build resilience (as discussed in my post “Resilience”).