Our time on Earth is short.
Though it can be easy to forget this in the distractions of modern life, I like to remind myself of this big picture often.
I know our true Self is timeless and death is simply a transition for our eternal soul. So this truth doesn’t scare me as much as it inspires me.
It inspires me to live this life to the fullest capacity while I’m here; to dream big, to experience and create the life I want, to push past the deep fears and resistances of the ego, to not be lazy or coy about this time, but to LIVE MY FULLEST LIFE, dammit!
To LIVE so fully that when it is my time to go, I will look back with deep gratitude KNOWING I gave it my all.
The last thing I want to do is be on my deathbed and look back at how I played it safe all my life.
Incarnating in a body on Earth isn’t something to be taken lightly, certainly not from this vantage point. It’s a whole lot of work to even get here. And if we’re being honest, just BEING here is incredibly freaky and unsettling, to say the least. But hey… we are here!
My perception is: I'm already incarnated in this crazy world, I'M HERE, let me incarnate FULLY and commit to this avatar while I still can- nevertheless holding the knowing that who I really am is completely formless eternity.
I feel like I came here for the full experience. I want to learn, evolve, grow and I know that it is my doing of these things that fulfils my hearts greatest desire- to assist humanity (also mySelf) and serve the ever expanding of God/Consciousness (again, mySelf!).
I hope this introduction gets you as fired up and inspired as it does me. Looking at the big picture, life goes by quick and so it puts in perspective all of the fears and excuses that control us and keep us from living our most expansive lives. I am not here to live in autopilot- I am here to CLAIM my free-will and go big.
I am a huge proponent for dreaming big- not just to live a great life materially- but because something extraordinary happens inside of you when you commit to a larger-than-life dream. I want to get into that today.
I believe we all have this inside of us- think the child-version of you that knew he/she was limitless and free to be whatever they wanted in any moment. This is a spiritual freedom that gets tarnished in the world of adults, and if we want to incarnate fully, we have to do whatever needs to be done to bring that sparkle back and allow it to flourish as adults.
As we get into it- keep in mind that living your dream life will look different than others. We all have a unique calling, a unique gift, a unique destiny in this world and we need not compare it to others. Apply these keys to your own intentions.
My goal here is to share keys you don't often hear about living your dream life.
1. You are already living your dream life
Let’s start out with the best news. Chances are- you’re already living your dream life and you don't even realize it. But to live big in the now, it’s important to realize it.
I recently found this “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs” (picture below) and wow- the way it puts it into perspective. Because we live in such a “small” world, thanks to the internet- it can be easy to compare yourself to others who may appear to be more far along than you in an aspiration, causing you to feel like you’re not enough or not doing enough. Many live in such a way that the goal posts for a “dream life” are always moving and there is never time to appreciate your beautiful life NOW. It’s unfair to compare yourself to people you don’t know.. (although it can be empowering to be inspired by them!).
When you look at this model you may find you are already in the top 1 or 2 tiers. To have food, health, security, family, home, respect, and these kind of things in your life shows you that you are already living an extremely high standard in life. If you are pursuing your self-esteem, self-actualisation, and new achievements meaningful to you, you are already living your dream life… congratulations!
The higher you go, the more naturally the whole hierarchy will continue to rise into greater levels of love. Deepening your relationships, nourishing your body, blessings your home more. andmore.. all of these things are also ever-expanding and directly tied to your self-actualisation/spirituality.
I invite you to use this as an affirmation that, most likely, YOU ARE ALREADY living your dream life (if not, you will be soon!). When you stop setting an impossible standard/comparison for yourself (a perpetual paradigm of “not-enoughness”) and realize that you are already leading an incredible, abundant life that IS MORE THAN ENOUGH, your life will change. Let yourself appreciate your successes everyday. This is a form of stepping out of scarcity mindset and into abundance mindset. It is from this knowing that you will find new levels of abundance, success, and actualization being magnetized to you. An abundant perception is a huge vibrational shift and external reality has no choice but to mirror it back.
The “never enoughness” loop is probably what keeps people in scarcity mindset the most- a very cunning paradigm (and self-creating prophecy), indeed! Practice re-cognizing this reminder of how blessed you truly are every day and I promise, you will find more blessings manifesting in your life. You will already feel so good that you don't need the physical blessings- but now they come. God IS infinite abundance and it is only ourselves that, unwittingly and to much distress, cut ourselves off by perceiving in lack. While I know it is easier said than done to jump paradigms- it can be done and ultimately it’s the only way to level up- from the inside out.
This is the power of being GRATEFUL for all that you are and putting focus there, instead of being an ingrate and focusing on why it’s never enough… (speaking from direct experience).
To live your dream life you have to believe that you already are living it NOW and chances are (at least according to this hierarchy of needs), you LITERALLY already are! From this perspective you can begin to amplify your dream life.
2. Trust the process
The next key I wish someone would have told me more directly (or maybe they did but my ungrateful self still couldn’t see it)… is to TRUST THE PROCESS. This is not a haphazard statement!!!! You WILL be tested. Be ready for it.
The truth is that when you dream big and set out on creating the life you want to experience, IMMENSE inner growth is REQUIRED. And this is the actual juice.
The more you embark on this journey the more you will naturally realize that it’s not the desires manifesting physically that are liberating you- it is 100% YOU showing up to do the inner work that is LIBERATING you. The inner evolution is actually the point of dreaming big-and the physical results are truly the cherry on top. When you realize this- life will become easier for you because you'll recognize it. To actualize big dreams of yours- you WILL be confronted with every resistance buried in your primordial mind. You will have to transform and overcome them all one by one (or sometimes in oodles!). This is not comfortable and this is why we must give credit to ourselves and to others that are actualizing themselves successfully.
"Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate."
Carl Jung
It may seem a lot easier to sit back on the sidelines and just not participate- to play it safe and to keep living as the small ego persona you’ve been, cowering down every time something remotely challenging arises- but the price for that is even higher (in my opinion). You are using up your precious Earth experience to hide in the shadows of other peoples dreams and basically be an automaton of whatever your environment molds you into. Besides, you can't not participate in life. You are still going to encounter life’s resistance and struggles anyways- only you will encounter them in a non-voluntary fashion (which is usually far more painful) rather than meeting them head on courageously and purposely.
Sidenote: it's not everyones dream is to be rich, to be an entrepreneur, to fit in what most people idealize as "success"- if your biggest dream is to live a very simple yet meaningful life spiritually- you will still have to walk through the fire of your own egotistical resistance again and again.
I am blunt with these truths because I feel we need to be more honest about this-especially in the spiritual community. Like everything, there is a balance.
For when you set out on a big dream, something magical happens. The whole benevolent universe within you SHOWS the fuck UP for you. They really, really do. I promise you that. The Universe, God, Self, Guides, Team, Ancestors- the whole squad of eternity- begins to guide you on a “path of least resistance” to that dream. And you have to learn how to follow and trust this with all you’ve got. And this can be the hardest part- one, because we are traumatized beings that feel like we can’t trust God and we have to be the ones in control. Two, just because it is the path of least resistance DOES NOT MEAN there won’t be any resistance. Honey.. we are transmuting DEEP ARCHAIC patterns of TRAUMA when we commit to our evolution. It is essential. The way we evolve is by GROWING-by stretching ourselves to new heights and depths. Growing pains are real. We are leaving behind things that are keeping us weak and stepping into the things that are making us strong. That said, there is going to be lots of resistance at times. "Least resistance" does not equate to no resistance- this is EARTH, after all- it isn't a walk in the park! Let resistance motivate you, not discourage you.
I’m just being honest- this is soul-hitting, guttural work we are doing at times. Honestly, if there is something you really desire and taking steps towards it literally feels like the scariest or most uncomfortable thing you’ve ever felt in your existence- chances are, you are RIGHT in the sweet spot of where you need to be. DO NOT BE DOUBTFUL OR DISCOURAGED by this. You HAVE to be the person you want to be but your ego is terrified to be. To quote Carl Jung again, "Become the person you're afraid to be. Where your fear is, there is your task". Every person you are inspired by- surely has experienced this for themselves.
This is why you have to commit 100% to yourself in this life and trust the process. Incarnate fully, why don't ya! You're already h e r e.
Many times in my life, and right now as we speak (which is what inspired me to write this) there have been moments where all the sudden EVERY SINGLE struggle, mistake, setback, failure, side quest, obstacle- suddenly makes crystal clear sense in the context of now. In the past I was thinking.. why is this happening? Why is this so hard? Why do I keep stumbling? Only to GET BACK UP again and again and reach the point where it ALL MAKES SENSE. Because every single failure was a lesson that evolved me to a way of being that I needed to be to get here- that I couldn’t be before it's "interruption".
Our human egos and belief systems are SO freaking stubborn, my friends, and usually completely unbeknownst to ourselves- impossibly blocking us from our dreams of true love and abundance. The overcoming of these blocks is essential if we have huge dreams. We have to undergo events that will destroy these egotistical blocks and allow new revelations to be realized. This is the work of the divine team/God co-creating with you- to guide you on a journey that is going to MAKE THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE. This is what Jesus said:
“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”- Matthew 19:26
The transformation required of us to live our highest potential in life IS the work. It is not only the work- it is the ongoing process- and it is the POINT, if there was one. For as you know, there is no destination. The journey IS the point. It is work, but you can also see it as play. The more we can learn to enjoy and TRUST the journey like our lives depend on it (they do), the greater life as a whole becomes.
My point here is that you may not always understand why life is leading you to something, but I can nearly assure you it is a part of your manifestation. Contrast is necessary-learn to flow with it and you'll be living in a whole new octave of consciousness where everything becomes easier- EVEN the hardships!
It is truly so helpful to honor and trust your unique journey. "Obstacles” along this journey (that you may not understand in the moment) are often pivotal for embodying your True Self, so long as you see it through. It is then all obstacles are only catalysts for your evolution. The only “failure” is to let failure stop you and give up. The more you can start to REMEMBER this in those difficult moments- the less resistance you will feel and the smoother you will be able to flow through life.
I know… human evolution is intense.. but it is a (very quick and temporary) divine experience to cherish, like no other in the universe!
3. Be delusional AND practical
Being Delusional
To dream big- you have to be a little what most would call "delusional". Lucky for me- I am good at that.
What I mean is you have to be willing to believe (and KNOW) in yourself and your infinite potential, despite what limitations may be arising in your physical reality now. You really have to know in yourself and God. You have to open up to believing that you are not only capable of your desires, but that they ALREADY ARE NOW. Honestly, it's like seeing through the Matrix. If you know about the Law of Attraction- you attract what you ARE, not what you want. To manifest something, you have to know it is already done and feel it in the now to attract it.
Fortunately for you- it (your dream) IS done- because you aren’t just this incarnated human- you are already everything and anything in the eternal formless now. Through your imagination and feeling you can experience ANYTHING now, and the mind does not discern between imagination and this reality. Again, see through the "Matrix". You have to learn how to tune into this and practice it to manifest consciously in this reality. These are basic law of attraction teachings that if you don’t know, I highly recommend reviewing, as it is “the secret” of all creation. All successful people know this and use it (whether they realize it consciously or not).
Sometimes this is hard because again- we are so programmed to not trust in or believe in ourselves and our abilities. Many of us grew up surrounded by lack/scarcity consciousness. And again- that is why this is the most evolutionary work. Because it REQUIRES you to transform those lack beliefs to actualise your dreams of abundance. It’s not always easy, but the more you open yourself up to this work, the more the divine will help you out. As George Harrison sang- the Lord helps those who help themselves.
Practice living in a way where your dream is already done to actualize it. You get to use your imagination- one of the most vital God-given tools we have. This is also why I mention Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: because so many of your dreams ARE already done physically- and the ones not yet physical ARE done energetically. Tap in. You don't have to even lie to yourself. Realize how peaceful, abundant, blessed your life already is and just amplify it.
When you focus on your gratitude and wholeness you will experience more of it (just as you do with fixating on lack and ingratitude). If your mind has a lot of negative momentum going- I advise you to focus purely on presence (think Eckhart Tolle) for a while. Then, gratitude, as that is the key to spiral back upward from any low state of lack. Please be patient with yourself. Self-love and self-compassion are some of the things you master again and again on this journey of earthly evolution. And trust me- it is the most rewarding quality to cultivate. I would go as far as to say, developing this kind of love for yourself and others is actually the POINT of it all. More love = more God = true evolution.
Being Practical
Being "delusional" is at least half the work- believing the impossible IS possible and living that way now.
Now I must emphasise the importance of informed, practical action as well.
You have to show up. Consistently.
Inspired actions and decisions have to be made in alignment with your dream.
In my experience, the best actions are often inspired (not forced)- but learn from my mistake: you have to have the skill of self-discipline.
Personally, I am far more apt to a spiritual, fantastical realm. So much so that I can actually get lost in that. And again- that itself has been a necessary part of my learning journey. The greatest lesson I have learned in life- is having discipline and structure with the spiritual.
Again, to create your dream life- YOU HAVE TO SHOW UP, consistently, so that the divine can work through you.
This will look different for all of us, but it means arriving to the place where you can do the work that your soul is asking you to do, even (especially) if you're scared, uncomfortable, or just don't feel like it.
This is hard sometimes because there will be resistance, especially with new things. Especially with important things. Resistance comes in many different forms- it especially comes in forms that are most convincing to you. Resistance may arise as doubt and discouragement. It may arise as excuses or laziness. It may even arise as actual physical events. There are so many ways resistance will try to distract you and at this point I do see resistance as the lower realms of reality trying to keep you from contributing something meaningful to humanity.
I often hear in the spiritual community if you don’t feel like doing it, don’t do it. And I think that can be true sometimes. But it can also be a massive excuse to have no self-discipline. This confused me personally for a while because discipline does not come so naturally to me. Not to mention, in the age of social media, instant gratification is often much more easily pursued by people than the actual consistent devotion (and discipline!) that it takes to make something meaningful long-term.
Maybe you are already a disciplined person and so you need to allow yourself more flexibility. Or maybe you’re like my old self and you could spend your whole life, as my dear friend Chairman Mao-Mao says, "in a catatonic stupor" and not even notice life pass you by. Use your discernment here as always. My point is to emphasise the importance of having discipline in your life. Self-discipline is a skill worth cultivating. Self-discipline is setting an intention for yourself and following through with it. Self-discipline is an act of self love, to create what you want even when it isn't instantly gratifying.
Without self-discipline you will be controlled by your own resistance, and (especially in the beginning) resistance tends to be stronger than we are. So I encourage a healthy amount of willpower, structure and self-discipline in manifesting your dreams. And as with anything, CONSISTENCY is key. Find your rhythm, your pace and show up. Some days, you may not even know what you’re going to do, but you show up. When you get yourself to SHOW UP (at your medium of choice) God/Divine can work through you much more effectively than if you're too undisciplined to show up and get lost in distractions.
Truly, when it comes to showing up the biggest key is getting your personality OUT of the way, so that the higher energies can work through you. And understanding that the lower energies are often going to resist this. Have vision, have discipline, and cultivate focus. If you’re like me- it will be one of the most rewarding experiences of a lifetime. For when you show up consistently despite resistance, you see your creativity sky rocket more than you previously knew was possible. You will start receiving incredible ideas that you couldn’t have perceived last week.
Along with having discipline- compassion and flexibility go with it. If you fall off the horse it's no big deal.. instead of giving up or spiraling, just get right back on it again the next day. We are human, after all. Find a balance between freedom and discipline. It is often said that the more structure you have in your life- the more freedom you can have.
In Conclusion
- Appreciate your dream life TODAY
- TRUST your process and divine timing
- Believe in and love yourself so much that it seems ridiculous.
- Show up and do the work consistently, with discipline.
- Manifest BIG LOVE!
I hope this was helpful and inspiring to you. I am wishing for all of us, our greatest love, freedom, joy, abundance, and overall evolution!