Last updated on July 28th, 2022 at 02:33 pm
It was the motivational speaker and best-selling author, Denis Waitley, who once said,
“A dream is your creative vision for your life in the future. You must break out of your current comfort zone and become comfortable with the unfamiliar and the unknown.”
No kidding.
I think every dreamer should have that quote painted on their wall to remind them of how the dream journey can be.
This past year has been a roller coaster ride of leaving my comfort zone by moving from my hometown of Capetown to a new big city up north, leaving my family and friends, landing a social media job three hours from my current home, and adjusting to being away from my daughter during long workdays.
If you asked me a year ago, I wouldn’t have believed that it was possible to have so many life-changing events happen within a few months of each other.
This year has definitely been about pushing me outside my comfort zone to become comfortable with the unknown.
Unfortunately, adult life doesn’t come with one of those life instruction manuals with solid advice on being a mom, wife, career woman, and a big dreamer while living life to its fullest. Challenges suddenly come out of nowhere that end up teaching you something new about yourself.
Life constantly calls you to grow and become more.
One missing instruction that should be part of that life manual is how much “dreams require time and effort.” I can handle the effort part, but trying to be a super-mom /loving wife /artist/social media expert /motivational speaker requires loads of my time. I wish there were 30-hour-days to fit in everything.
The pull between required time and comfort zone part of working on my big dream has been getting me down.
When your dream begins to feel depressing, it’s time to stop, count your blessings, and look at what is working in your life and all you have accomplished. All too often, we forget to celebrate our small efforts because we look too far into the future at how much is left to achieve.
We take the small gifts for granted because we “aren’t there yet,” and there seems to be a constantly moving target.
You need to have faith rolled up with patience and a belief that your dream is coming to you as fast as it possibly can. The dream that you are seeking is seeking you. You must grow to be ready for the changes your dream will bring into your current life as you know it.
Life tests your commitment to your dream by requiring a commitment of time.
It’s using the time to test you to see if your dream is something that you truly desire, and if is, then you need to train for it and time is part of that training process of living outside your comfort zone.
Time is helping you to learn a new career so you can see what it takes to promote a product on a national scale. Time is opening up your life to new people and experiences to teach you to be strong and trust your inner strength.
Being grateful for the challenges we face when time is teaching us to grow and preparing us for our dream is the hardest part of the dream process. I cannot lie and say that there aren’t times I’ve shaken my fist in the air–angry at some big change that seems forced upon my life.
But if I resist what is happening the situation grows bigger and more difficult to handle– it’s like attempting to swim against white rapids. It’s better to quit fighting the rushing water and allow the river’s current to take you downstream while you work to relax and enjoy the new scenery as it unfolds.
Recognize that you are in a situation that pushes you outside of your comfort zone–be grateful. This could be the significant change that sets you on the right track for seeing your big dream come true.
It might end up being one of those moments that you look back on and exclaim,
“Wow! If that hadn’t happened then this great thing I am experiencing right now would not have come true!”
I challenge you to be grateful for the moments when life is challenging you to step outside of your comfort zone. Recognize what is working in your life, and what you have accomplished thus far, and hold on to the vision of your completed dream with all of your heart.
Know that your good is coming to you–even if it seems like it is taking too long–and be grateful that you are being challenged to live the dreamer’s life just outside your comfort zone all wrapped up in time. And occasionally, it’s OK to get depressed about where you are, just don’t allow these feelings to stop you from working on your big dream.
Sue Levy is the founder of the South African Just Pursue It Blog and Inspirational Women Initiative. She’s a motivational writer and media designer, who is obsessed with everything inspirational with a hint of geek. She thrives on teaching women how to be brave and take big chances on themselves. You can find Sue on her Twitter page @Sue_Levy.
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