There’s a tremendous amount of unconscious pressure to do it all and have it all. We are groomed early to do and be. No matter what shape your life takes, there are always expectations. Hidden expectations, openly expressed expectations, forced expectations, you name it. I can remember when I was a little girl and family members would say, “Oh she’s going to be great at this or great at that.” So naturally I did as I was expected. Not exactly on schedule, but I got married, had children, got a college degree, a great career, a home etc. It is easier done than said to become who or what others want and expect us to be and lose ourselves in the process.
Think about it, how many people do you know that work in a career field completely opposite of their degrees? Don’t we all know someone who has a job that they absolutely dread going to?
We have relationships that are dying simply because in them we became who and what the other person needed us to be and forgot about who we were and sometimes what we needed.
There will come a time in life where we will ask ourselves or should ask ourselves “What Do I Want?” What am I passionate about? The answer to that question is not always as easy as it is asked. We’ve been conditioned not to ask that of ourselves. It is looked upon as being selfish. What I’m learning is that sometimes it is okay to be selfish. We have to take a moment, in order to be present in the moment, so that we can openly ask “What Do I Want?” Then we have to be equally as present to hear the answers.
Now I should forewarn you that by asking the question “What Do I Want?” the answer may surprise you, you may find yourself uncomfortable or in unfamiliar territory. It may even challenge you to step outside your comfort zone and DO something that you’ve never done before or thought that you were capable of doing. You will be stretched and pruned but you will also be excited!
The best way to experience the answer to “What Do I Want?” is to grab some magazines, be sure to include a few of your favorites, a pair of scissors, a few glue sticks and a foam or card board to create a vision board. The idea behind the vision board is that when you surround yourself with images of who you want to become, what you want to have, where you want to live, or where you want to vacation, your life changes to match those images and those desires. Start by asking yourself, “What would I do if I knew that I could not fail?” Then create a list of everything that you want. Take your list and prioritize it the way that you want. Here are a few prompts to help you get started, ask yourself:
What are some things that make me happy? What do I want just for me? Where would I like to travel to? If money were no object what would I want? What’s my dream job? What am I passionate about? What are my dreams? You can throw in your own questions too. The biggest challenge to doing this is simply asking IF?
There are no limits here. Think I’Mpossible, Just write down whatever comes to your mind that you want to BE, DO, HAVE or EXPERIENCE! People, places, things that you want to do, people that you want to meet, your dreams…This is truly ALL about you!
Last but certainly not least, once you have your list, magazines, board, scissors and glue stick now it’s time to do the work. Put on some great music that makes you feel good, spread out, let your creative juices flow and have a blast! Above ALL else remember to HAVE FUN! Let your imagination and intuition guide you to your heart’s desires while innovatively answering the question of what do I want?
BMWK – When was the last time that you asked yourself “What do I want?”