Every Wednesday in February I will be doing a post on DREAMS.
Our beautiful, wonderful, amazing dreams!
The first thing I want you to do is to truly open you heart and your mind to the dreams that are stored within you.
Please do not compare yourself or your dreams to anyone!
Your dreams are unique and special…just like you!
Grab a journal, notebook or sheets of paper.
As we go along you may even want to decorate it and embellish it.
Why a journal?
When you write your thoughts down you are more likely to actually do them!
When you say your thoughts out loud you are declaring that your words and thoughts have value!
You will never know how far you have come if you don't realize where you started.
Your journal will help you see that.
The things you write now may be private and secret.
Maybe even a little scary.
As we go along I truly believe you will want to share your heart and dreams with those that you love.
The people that love YOU and will be the ones to help and support you.
You need these people to truly fly.
I want you to think back to when you were younger.
What were your dreams?
As you were growing up or even a young adult…what did you dream of becoming?
Maybe you are living your dream.
Maybe you are living part of your dream.
Maybe you don't even want those things anymore.
I have gotten so many emails lately of women telling me that they have even forgotten how to dream.
If you still think about those dreams….lets go there.
What stopped you?
Was it you? Were you scared?
Were you not supported?
Were you talked out of it?
Whatever the reason write these things down.
Take this week to think about the dreams you had in the past.
The dreams you secretly hold now for the future.
I love this quote.
I think of it all of the time.
It is one of the incredible ad campaigns from Nike.
I was inspired by this quote and my friend Julie a few years ago.
I saw my friend wearing a t-shirt with this quote on it.
My friend had recently had her fourth baby.
She knew they were done having children and she wanted her body back.
She wanted to feel healthy and active again.
She started training.
HARD!
She transformed her life.
She transformed her body!
Print this out.
Read it EVERYDAY!
The things that you want to see for your life will not come with just thinking about them.
Wishing about them.
Dreaming about them.
ACTION.
You need to take the first step.
What will that first step be?
You can only answer that.
What is distracting you today from doing the things that you were born to do?
I am not talking about your marriage or children.
These are blessings.
I am not even talking about a full time job that you hate….because right now…that job is a blessing too.
I am talking about all the things that can distract us everyday and keep us from living a full and creative life.
We all have the same number of hours in a day.
How are you using your hours?
I can't believe I am giving you homework…but I am!!!:-)
You are so dear to my heart.
You all bless me everyday!
We are all a messy, beautiful work in progress.
I am still getting there too.
For some of you that are just starting on this path..do not give up!
It is an incredible place to be.
I love that quote too, although it’s the first time I’ve seen it (is it from a television commercial? we don’t have a t.v. in our house). Thanks for your inspiration, Jeanne. p.s. I have a piece of art by my computer at home that reminds me to “dream” everyday 🙂
I love this idea, am printing off the quote and was just talking about all of this to a good friend of mine on Monday. Serendipitous! I am still chasing my dreams and will be starting my journal today! I too believe that writing and saying it outloud will help, heck it’s really the only way I can remember anything these days!! Thank you for the inspiration, Theresa
What a fabulous post! Thank you so much for your wise words – it all makes so much sense. I am starting my journal today.
Here’s to living our dreams,
B x
Such an inspiring post! Thank you so much!! I started on that journey a year ago and am now mostly living my dreams! It’s an amazing life… Hugs, Silke
that is the perfect quote jeanne. what and awesome post. i need to read it again and again. such inspiration!!
What a wonderful post!! I think life gets us so busy, we forget to stop and think about our dreams! What a wonderful way to give us inspiration and hope (and motivation!!)!
This is a perfect post, for me today. I love writing things down, but then I find myself hiding the journal, so no one will read it. I must get past this point. It must have something to do with being laughed at or something. I was not able to pursue any of my past dreams, due to illness in my teens. This probably has alot to do with the being afraid of not fulfulling a dream and being laughed at???? Wow I think I just had an AH HA moment.
I am really trying not to pass this onto my son, who is a HS senior. I don’t want to talk him out of anything (that is truely his dream), but I also want him to make responsible choices. How to you guide them without being a dream smasher???
Thanks again for the thought provoking post:)
Love this Jeanne. I know what my dreams are. It’s just making them happen:)
Great post — so inpsiring! Am buying a journal today!
Jeanne, Just found your blog and it is both beautiful and inspiring! I look forward to visiting often! Blessings!
Jean
Jeanne, I so believe God has a plan and my dreams are beginning to come to life. This post is beautiful. It is hard for me to say that now is the time for me to live….I am 33 and just beginning to live life to the fullest. I had a lot to overcome but now is the time. I am so happy to have met you. Hugs, AMy
I LOVE this!!!! can’t wait for this whole “series”!
Thank you for sharing!
Many Blessings!
Jill
Thanks so much for this post. I might not yet have the marriage or family that I still dream and pray about having, but there are many other dreams I have forgotten about. The encouragement is great and needed. It reminds me that it’s okay for me to put myself first once in awhile to try to achieve these dreams.
Especially when it comes to fulfilling who I am as God’s daughter. By seeking Him out and following His word, it is possible that my dreams and desires will change. But in the end, God’s plan and desires for me will be much better than what I ever imagined possible.
I look forward to what you have for us next week.
I already started doing that this year. (in the journal you gave me) I think it really helps to stay focused and also to watch your progress. LOVE the nike quote I will be printing that!
So glad you are doing this and I’m getting out my journal and starting today 🙂
Jeanne, I hope it is okay (I know I should have asked first – duh!) but I’ve put the pic with the quote and bird in the frame on the sidebar of both my blogs with a link to your blog. Let me know if it’s not and I’ll remove them.
And I think maybe this is what I need right now. I’m going to find a book I can use as my journal! Thanks, Becky
Thanks! I have my journal prepped and ready and thanks too for that fabulous image…can’t wait to make a banner with it!
Love the quote…I had never heard it before. Lovely, inspirational post. I am living part of my dream and know the rest is there somewhere (I’m not entirely sure of what my exact dream is, but I know it will all unfold if I have faith in it)…it’s making the time and getting rid of the excuses and distractions. I’ve been journaling and it really is so helpful to put thoughts on paper, but I think art journaling would be even better…
…and you are dear to my heart! This is so special! I will come back and read it again, and DO IT!!! Get out that journal!
You are a sweetheart, Jeanne!
Jeanne, giving me homework, what has the world come to? 🙂 I love this post because as women who have families and obligations we sometimes put our dreams on the back burner, or feel we need to put our children or our husbands 1st before our dreams, but you are right there needs to be a happy balance between the two…and that is what I have been working on…thanks for always being an inspiration!
So inspiring! Where would we be without dreams? Thank you for encouraging us to “spread our wings”:) P.S. Is it ok if I borrow that quote/image for my journal?
that is such a great quote!..i’m excited about this series you’re starting…very cool! thanks 🙂
love those birds, jeanne (especially “fly”)!=) nursing ad right now, but want to get to that homework and see what comes out. love you.
You’ve just pulled a lurker out of the closet here… I love your blog and read it often. It is the first on my list to check. This post is amazing and just what I need right now. This fits in with my word of the year (from ali edwards) and my goal in 2010 to focus more on my creativity and my desires in that area. Thank you Thank you Thank you. From another CO gal.
LOVE it! Sweetly inspiring. I’m printing out that quote and putting it somewhere where I’ll see it often. I think I might even be inspired enough to start that journal! Thank you!
Jeanne, Beautiful post! Just found your blog through ‘humble pie’ blog, where Lissa shared her sweet relationship with you and Becky. Funny enough, you looked so familiar to me and then when I read you are from Castle Rock, I couldn’t believe it!! I too live in Castle Rock and am a newbie homeschooler. I must know your face from the grocery store? haha… We are actually moving this weekend to North Colorado Springs. Anyhow, would love to know if you have any great homeschooling recourses for the area?
Great Blog, will be sure to stop in! 🙂
Blessings,
Jaime
Homework?!? On a Wednesday! Argh.
(How did that sound? Like a bratty teenager? Good!) 😉
LOVE that you are doing this, especially because I can just feel that it’s from your heart and that you believe it’s exactly what you are being led to do.
I’ve never been a journaler…maybe that will change? Regardless, you’ve got me thinking. I sort of feel like I never even knew what my dreams were (other than the supermodel thing) until now that I’m starting to live them.
Can’t wait to walk this journey with you!
oh I’m so excited about these posts. I dream a lot all the time and am living a lot of my dream… my hubby and children are so much of my dream, but now i’m able to see i have room for more “creative” dreams. What a great blessing this is going to be,
xo,
LuLu
Inspiring content and beautiful layout with thought-provoking words. Loveliness for the heart:)
Thank you as always. Thanks for the reminder that blessings are not distractions…some days it is not as easy to remember. I am saving this quote and putting it everywhere and anywhere that I spend my time throughout the day.
Jeanne, I swear we are on the same wavelength! I just had a big talk with myself about this very thing. I have been unhappy lately with what I am doing and the stress and time it takes and asked myself, what is your dream? If I could do only one thing for the rest of my life, what would it be? Not what i am currently doing. It was a hard realization but once i accepted it I felt like a weight was lifted off of my shoulders. I am taking steps to make my dreams come true. Photography is my passion, what makes my heart sing(outside of, and because of my family) so I am taking steps toward diving in and learning all that I can. I signed up for my first workshop and I am so excited to get started I can hardly stand it! I should blog about it too. You are such a God send:)
This post hits really close to home today. As the 15 (yes 15!) pre-k kids I was subbing today were taking their nap, I sat with a piece of paper and wrote down some steps to take to sell/promote my jewelry and creations. It was my only New Year’s resolution… to get more jewelry out there more! It helps to have steps to take to get to our goals. Now I just hope I will follow through with them :O) I will! I will!
You have a wonderfully inspiring blog Jeanne. I have to tell you that since I was 16 years old, I had a dream of being an illustrator. My dad shot me down when I was younger. I got married and raised 5 kids, but my dream was still in my heart. I almost lost it completely when my marriage ended and my life went spiralling downward to places I’m too ashamed to mention. 5 years ago my daughter reawakened that dream in me and last month (at the ripe age of 53) my first children’s book was published! Don’t stop dreaming. Don’t let your dreams fade away!
It took me 40 years to get here, but I am more creative in my life now than I’ve ever been. Going back to college has jump-started so many juices for me and avenues to explore all my various interests {art, history, travel, photography, cooking, design, etc..} Blogging has brought me an outlet to share all of this and more, it’s introduced me to kindred souls all over the world. Amazing! 🙂
You are simply amazing 🙂
Oh Jeanne, I’m so excited you’re doing this! And I’m so glad to know I am not the only one who sometimes feels they’ve forgotten how to dream…or even being afraid to dream. I made my little journal, can’t wait to fill it up. I’m looking forward to meeting you in person! xo
Your post is so inspiring. It is that little nudge to follow our dreams and stay the course. I love the quote and will post it on my mirror so each day I can be reminded. Thank you so much!
xx, Michelle
Inspiring, Very Inspiring. I LOVE IT !!
This is going to be a great series!!!! I have so many dreams and get so frustrated that time moves so slowly and is so unsure. Sometimes I feel like the baby steps we talk are too small and too numerous. You’re such a sweetie Jeanne!
You are a blessing! For some reason I have always been afraid to take that “first step” It looks as though many of us are in the same boat, and you help us to realize that we can achieve our dreams. thanks so much for your posts, they are uplifing and encouraging!
Jeanne, you are just so inspiring! What a wonderful quote. I need to write it down. Simply an amazing post!
Thank you…dreaming is wonderful, but you are right, taking action is most important. I definitely need to take action. I like the story you shared about your friend.
When someone pays me an unexpected compliment, I ofetn tell them that they made my day!