Dreaming Big Changes Perspective

I originally wrote this article on July 30, 2014.

When you feel hopeless and helpless about your life, or otherwise see no other way to be able to live, I recommend dreaming about your ideal life. The same goes for when you wonder what your next steps are.

Imagine no limits to what you can do.  Think about your dream life as if it is happening right now: either write it down or tell about it to another person.

The future is wide-open for my kids and me.  To see where my kids and I want to be, and to get ideas about steps we can take right now to work towards that, I interviewed my kids about some of their beliefs and about their dream lives.

I wrote my own story about my dream life after I interviewed my kids.  Of course, we can change our minds at any time.  See below for what we all came up with.

This exercise was so inspirational and exciting:

• I feel like I know my kids and myself better.

• I feel like we have a direction to head towards.

• I am looking for evidence that some of things we want are already happening and part of our current reality.

• I am excited to create some of our dreams in our present lives.

• I feel like we are already on our way to where we want to be–which motivates me to keep on trucking.

• Ultimately, it raises our vibration to one of hope and joy.

This is what a simple change-in-perspective can do!

My Younger Child’s Beliefs and Dream Life

1. What’s important in life?
     Good food, good relationships with family, fun friends

2. Define what a good relationship is, what does it entail?
     Not fighting and bickering

3. What do you want more of in your life?
     Doing hair stylist stuff: hair, nails and makeup

Younger child begins dream-life conversation:

4. Who are your typical clients for cosmetology?
Selena Gomez, Katy Perry, guests on the Ellen show

5. Tell me more about working with your celebrity clients.
     I have my own jet. On weekends, I pick up my clients in my jet.  While we fly to their destination (concerts and events), I do their hair, makeup and nails. They always give me front-row tickets to their concerts. While I’m sitting in the front row, I take photographs which I sell to magazines.

6. What other side-jobs and activities do you do?
      I am a part-time independent photographer, and take photos of celebrities (on stage and other events) and of nature. I sell my photos to Life magazine and National Geographic. I also sell my photos online which can be purchased in all different sizes, including ‘doll’ sizes. My photographs are displayed on the walls in the beach café I own (more on the café below).
     When ideas come to me, I design and sew dresses and gowns at home. I sell them to stores; but I’m not depended on to make all the clothes for anyone.
     Sometimes I volunteer at a fancy restaurant where I set up the tables and do their food design.
     Occasionally, I work at a pet shelter where I take care of the cats (feed and carry them) and sometimes puppies.
     I play ice hockey and do gymnastics when I feel like it.

7. What kind of vehicles do you own, if any?
     I have a bicycle, a moped, and a car. My convertible car is half light-pink and half blue. The rear-view mirror is framed by heart stickers, and I have miniature high-heel shoes hanging from it.

8. Where do you live?
     My main home is in Hawaii. I have a little home in Australia which I rent out.

9. Describe your home.
     I live one block from the ocean in a large, rented condo. I have a large screened-in balcony to eat on. I can see the huge pool and hot tub below the balcony. At night, the condo employees put floating lily pads with candles in the pool. I have bean-bag chairs with black-and-pink cheetah print. Some of the walls are pink in my home. I cook my own food; but there is also the option to eat in the dining room in the building. I use the condo’s cleaning service to clean my home. I have two puppies and two cats who are indoor-and-outdoor pets.  My mom lives in the same condo building. My sister lives about 20 minutes away near horses.

10. Who are your friends?
     My coworkers. I don’t have roommates or a partner.

11. Describe a typical day.
     In the morning, my two puppies and I walk to the beach. I look at the restaurants and shops along the beach, sit on the beach, or put my feet in the water. I take photos and videos of the beach and under the water. I put the videos on my website along with the photos I have for sale. I also dive for shells and to take photographs. Sometimes I eat at a restaurant during my walk.
     I own a café on the beach with outdoor seating. We sell snacks and drinks. Sunday is steak-day when we sell steak meals. I work at my café from about 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 or 1:00 p.m. My assistants work in the café when I’m not there.
     After I leave the café, I bring my puppies home for lunch and I go to my cosmetologist job. I rent a chair at a beach-front hair salon. I work there about four hours a day. My clients are both local people and people who fly in for my services.
     After the salon, I go home and eat on my balcony. Sometimes I have friends over to my home.

My Older Child’s Beliefs and Dream Life

1. What’s important in life?
     Family; friends; having a good, happy, and healthy life

2. Define what a good relationship is, what does it entail?
     Being able to talk to each other

3. What do you want more of in your life?
     Time on vacation and exploring

4. What vacations do you want to go on?
     To the ocean; Australia; California; Monte Carlo; and Madeline Island, Wisconsin

5. What’s the appeal about being on Madeline Island?
     No traffic for my mom. There are horses, few pollutants, it’s by water, and it’s still in the U.S.

Older child begins dream-life conversation:

6. Where do you live?
     I live in both Greece and Australia.

7. Who are your friends?
     The people at the horse stable. I see my sister, mom and dad about five times a month. I don’t have roommates or a partner.

8. What jobs and activities do you do?
     Every day, I work at a horse stable taking care of other people’s horses as well as my own horse. I have a college degree which helped me get my main job (I don’t know what that is yet). I work part-time at Best Buy for some extra money.
     I volunteer at a pet shelter and also do fundraisers to help homeless people. Every two weeks, I travel to different places for two weeks at a time. Each time I travel, I stay in one spot and explore near-by.
     I play baseball, tennis and do gymnastics. I go diving three times a year. On my own, I read and sing. I enjoy eating by the ocean.

9. What kind of vehicles do you own, if any?
     I have a bicycle, a moped, a hybrid energy-efficient car, and a truck for the horse stable.

10. Tell me about the horse you (are going) to have.
It’s a Quarter horse or Arabian Quarter horse mix, 15-16 hands, color and gender don’t matter, 7-13 years old, broken, strong, healthy (of course), calm but not lazy, has energy, likes to ride (or at least is okay with it), good on the ground, good with kids and adults.

11. Describe your home and home environment.
     It’s important for me to have people around me and to not to live in a lonely area such as out in the country. I cook and clean for myself. I have my two cats, Tommy and Timmy. My main home is in Greece in a fancy apartment building where I live 10-minutes from a horse stable. My apartment is simple and I don’t own a lot of things. My huge dream house–which includes an indoor water park and a lot of indoor slides–is located in Australia. I don’t rent it out, but my family can visit there.

My Own Dream Life

How I want to feel and be:  Free, Peaceful, Calm, Flowing, At-Ease, Light, Empowered and Strong, Inspired and Inspiring, Conscious, Alive, Vibrant

     I live by the water (ocean, lake, or river) in a studio apartment, in the same complex as my kids and my best friend.  My studio apartment has one large room for the entry way, kitchen, dining, living room, office, and sleeping area. My bed is a simple, but cozy, cot which I roll up every morning. I grow herbs and a few vegetables on my balcony. The restroom is serene, bright, spacious and easy-to-clean with a floor drain so I can hose everything down, and windows for air circulation. But nonetheless, I hire someone to come in every other week to clean the floors, windows, bathroom, and kitchen.
      My material possessions are few. The ones I own are functional. I have only a few sentimental items which also serve in both function and beauty.
     I use my moped, or sometimes bicycle, to get around the village when I’m not on-foot. If I need to use a car, my kids let me borrow one of theirs.
     The walkable village I live in has many water-front shops and restaurants, outdoor markets, walking trails and an independent movie theatre where anyone can request movies to be played.
     My day begins with a sun-rise walk next to the water where I breathe in the fresh air, stop to do stretches and jot notes in a small notebook I always carry with me.
     At the end of my walk, I stop at a water-front café for a big breakfast and to chat with the other inspiring entrepreneurial and artistic regulars. Sometimes I pick up bouquets of fresh flowers at the waterfront market for the 3 of us and my best friend.
     Once home, I sit at my desk which is situated in front of a wall of windows facing the water. This is where I do most of my writing as well as take coaching calls. After about five or six hours of writing and coaching, I eat supper either alone or with the company of my kids and/or best friend (aka ‘my people’) on my balcony or on the apartment-complex patio in front of the shaded pool.
     I shop daily at the outdoor market for food which I prepare once a day; I cook and eat simply when I’m not eating out.
     My day ends with a sunset walk with my people or by myself and a glass of wine on my screened-in balcony. Many times, I sleep on my balcony which has a comfortable hammock.
    My kids and I have very close and authentic relationships with one another. We can tell each other anything. We all are empathetic listeners and have great input to offer each other. We are all free to have our own lives without pressure or guilt to be together; but we choose to see each other at least a few times a week. We talk on the phone almost daily.
     My best friend and I talk and get together frequently– spontaneously dropping by each others apartments, running errands together, picnicking on the beach, listening to outdoor music, going to movies. We have a good group of adventurous acquaintances who we join about once a week for some sort of adventure such as snorkeling, sailing, hiking, fine dining, clamming and fishing, dancing and grilling on the beach with a bonfire. The people in the group have plenty of money to fund such adventures and are happy to bring us along for our company, enthusiasm, and authentic appreciation.
     Sometimes my best friend and I volunteer in the community garden or will hop on our mopeds to deliver produce to people in need. We also pick up trash on the beach or throughout the village during our walks.
     I get massages twice a week, facials every other week, and manicures and pedicures every month.
     About once a year, my kids and I travel somewhere out of the country for a few weeks. They do all the planning, and I happily join whatever they arrange.

Dream big and see where it takes you!

Warmly,