Year End Results Inspire Dream Connections

Last updated on July 1st, 2022 at 04:17 pm

For some people, coming to the end of a year is inspiring,  reflections on what they’ve accomplished and take pride in the results they’ve achieved.

Before the new year comes, they stand proud of who they are and how they arrived at today.

For others, starting the new year is more inspiring, letting go of the past, and putting the past year behind them.

Before the new year arrives, they spend time looking ahead at the possibilities and dreaming about who they are going to become.

Wherever your inspiration comes from, get connected to it – cause it’s about that time, people.

Being a part of the 8 Women Dream Team was an amazing gift for me.  I learned a great deal about myself, my dreaming strengths and challenges – and that following your dreams is more than just “doing what you love.”

The real process of dreaming, goal setting, and staying inspired throughout the year

• It starts with the idea that your dream is possible.  I have wonderful parents who taught me from very early on that I could do anything I set my mind to.  I’ve enhanced that a bit for my son, and say you can do anything you set your heart to.
• Passion and excitement swoop in. When you daydream about your dreams, it’s hard to think about anything else.  You have a hard time sleeping.  Everything you see reminds you of your dream.  You smile often, realizing that you have something special in the works.  Let yourself feel that passion without limits.
• You make the commitment. Logic catches up with passion, and your mind starts to map out the actual work it will take to get to where you want to go.  On paper, you determine what will be possible. You may also feel a need to pull back a bit in fear of taking on too much.  Stay committed, especially if you are in the unknown.
• Time is carved out. By design or by default, you create the time to make your dream happen.  In the beginning, it can feel like you have to justify or defend spending in this way, but after some practice, you’ll know the right balance and frequency of time to give to your dreams.
• You remain tenacious. You will inevitably plateau.  You will hit the wall.  In fact, you may hit many walls on your dream journey.  Your tenacity and unwavering focus on what you want will help get you where you want to go.
• You gain self-confidence. Every set goal accomplished is a step closer to your dreams.  At some point, the dreaming process starts to feel effortless, natural, and automatic.  You may wonder how you ever lived a life without dreams?

My dreams at the start of the year focused on becoming a top photographer.

My goals were very tactical and self-focused, as they should be when you start dreaming.  With my head down much of the time, I focused on checking items off my to-do list.  I was able to bust through many comfort zone issues I had around my own photography knowledge, being seen by family and friends, and feeling judged for the images I’ve created.

But there is one important thing I realized about dreaming: dreams change.

About mid-year, I read a quote from one of my favorite business gurus, Seth Godin, and a light went on.

If you make a difference, people will gravitate to you. They want to engage, to interact and to get you more involved.  If you make a difference, you also make a connection. You interact with people who want to be interacted with and you make changes that people respect and yearn for.

Art can’t happen without someone who seeks to make a difference. This is your art, it’s what you do. You touch people or projects and change them for the better. This year, you’ll certainly find that the more you give the more you get.

I started to realize that my dream of being a Top Photographer was just the vehicle, the platform, the “whatever” – on the path to what I really want, which is to create a life of making a difference by creating connections.

Setting goals to accomplish my dreams with photography was just the way I had to think about it first, so my conscious mind could provide the structure in moving forward in my unconscious pursuit of creating connections with others (and I thought I’d never use my BA in Psychology!)

In other words, it’s not about what I do–it’s about the essence of who I am.

I find ways to create connections every day, whether I’m out on a photo shoot, at work, or with my family. My dreams aren’t limited to becoming a “Top Photographer”.

And the dreaming mantra that I’ve said repeatedly throughout the year, “Just keep saying yes to the things that feel right and important”  is now more relevant and special than I had originally thought.

In my next article, I’ll close out this year by reviewing my dream goal accomplishments, and start next year with a reaffirmation and redefined dream list of goals for the year.

So between now and then, why don’t you start this year’s dream process with me?

1. Sit down for 20 minutes in a quiet space, with a blank piece of paper and a good beverage.
2. Let your mind wander.
3. Start to jot down thoughts about your dreams for the new year, and what you want the essence of your life to be about.

Don’t worry too much about structure or specific goals yet, just wonder about what’s possible for your life and let your thoughts flow.

Remy Gervais