Live Out Loud Everyday Starting Today

I will start by thanking +Fast Company for their Google Plus post, 

There Are 5 Types Of Boredom. Which Are You Feeling?

, and +Michael A Wells, for his response, that he feels #4 everyday. Life is far too short for all of us to be imprisoned in 'existence' by our own minds. 

You have imprisoned yourself. How are you going to change it?

As someone who starts most things by thinking, planning or making lists, I say:

1. Create your vision: be it a vision board, a bucket list or one thing you always wanted to do.

2. Find out what it takes: brainstorm the list of steps you'd honestly need to take to make your vision a reality - time, energy, resources, activities, mindsets, everything you can think of.

3. Get organized: arrange this list in order of feasible timelines, categories or any pattern that makes it easy for you to follow. If it's overwhelming; simplify. Include 'change mindset'; eliminate your "I can't". 

4. Talk to yourself: seriously. you may or may not have a support system to help you along, so you are your support system. Throughout the process, remind yourself daily of where you're going.

5. Take micro-steps: leap where you can, but start with baby steps (one day at a time). Remember, a habit takes 21-30 days to be formed, or broken.

6. Track your progress: whether it's a physical journal, a digital checklist from your "Get organized" section, or your own invention, use something to track what you've accomplished along the way.

7. Pray: I include this because it's on my personal list, but whatever you believe, step back from your current situation to look at the big picture - the possibilities are endless when you're looking from afar. 

Dreams are big, and

anything worth something takes work.

 Reward yourself along the way to stay motivated. You've seen this 100, maybe more, times in your life, in various forms.

Just Do It.

This may be an iterative process, if you do it right. You may start small, but as you do more introspection, you'll start realizing there's no reason to dream small.

This is WINTER but SPRING is coming - Are You Ready?

After I write this post, I'm going to continue implementing as well. I've already started with my

Vision Board on Pinterest

(thanks to the advice of my friend Paulina N.) [You can see my other boards at the link provided, but my actual Vision Board is private.]

Some inspirational reading:

I specifically point to the books, not the authors. You may not appreciate the authors or support many of the philosophies presented, but at least they get you to dream a bit bigger:

1. The Art of Non-Conformity by Christopher Guillebeau

2. The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss

Note:

Returning to the article that prompted this post, a word to all generations - X, Y, Z, Baby Boomers, etc -

live and let live.

Stop attacking each other, in particular, stop attacking the

Millennials (Generation-Y).

Their economic reality includes

a whole lot of "NO":

no job stability,

no jobs if not self-created,

no salary that can fund home ownership

in this lifetime,

and a number of other realities that the other generations haven't had to deal with. Perhaps the parents of the Baby Boomers get it. If you destroy the confidence of the next generation because you have to "put them in their place", there'll be no one left to take care of you. The "arrogance" and "entitlement" is perhaps what they need to survive their reality.

Get past fear & Just do it

Did you reach for the ball?

September 4, 2013 Facebook by Mashable | 

http://on.mash.to/1aiUCA4

In life, even if you are a go-getter, you wouldn't be first in line to get your face smashed by a baseball. It is clearly a metaphor, however, for the world we live in.  How many of us really reach for our goals regardless of the obstacles?

What are your obstacles?

Time, money, partnerships and other resources... or fear? Other challenges are more readily addressed, with a wider range of possibilities, when we get past fear. Be honest about what your fears are and discard those first. Fear of failure, success, dealing with family response, doing it alone, having to collaborate, uncertainty, public speaking - the list can be endless.

"Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear."

(Franklin D. Roosevelt). Facing the fact that fear will be a life-long companion - overcoming one to learn of another - can be discouraging.  It can, if you choose, let it be liberating. Now you know the goal is to work past it, not to eliminate it.

You'd be surprised how quickly you persevere in eliminating the other obstacles once fear's dealt with.

Working past fear

I found a few tips that work, but you should really add a few more that may be unique to you:

1. Throw away your negative thoughts (Observer, 2013) - literally, write down the real or imagined thoughts that stop you from going after your goals, and then through them away.

2. Get organized (Connolly, 2009) - when your mind is in disarray, your space often reflects that. Take the time to tidy up and get organized. You'll feel less overwhelmed, more optimistic and the temptation to procrastination, fear's nasty accomplice, recedes.

3. Make a list - be honest about where you are and what you need to get where you want to go. Daily, do one thing to get closer to your goal. If you do more, great, but one a day is huge.

4. Speak to yourself - no, it's not for crazy people. It's probably, actually, the secret to staying sane. When you start giving in to fear and negative thoughts, say the opposite truths out loud. I can see your face - just try it!

5. A support system - surround yourself with people who actually support you. They feed your dream and show you that some mountains are really molehills. They aren't always who you think they should be.

6. Document your successes - small or large, your mind has no problems dredging up failures, but this helps keep successes top of mind. This is really a great way to stay encouraged.

Share your success

Come back and share your success in the comments, to encourage others.