Travel around Europe for a year. Sell a screenplay. Learn a new language. Write a novel.
Those are some big dreams I have. Dreams that will take a lot of hard work and dedication.
Big dreams are nice to have. They’re fun. It makes you feel good thinking about them. But the problem with big dreams is that they take work. Lots of work. They’re not something that you can achieve in one day. That’s why they’re big dreams, right?
And there’s nothing wrong with big dreams. I think they’re great to have. I think it’s really important for you to encourage your kids to have big dreams to and to work towards them.
But there are other dreams we have, too. These are smaller dreams, dreams that we could achieve fairly easily, but we always seem to put them off. We get sucked into the other things going on in our lives, let ourselves get settled into routines and stop seeking out moments of spontaneity, of adventure, of joy.
I’ve always encouraged my kids to go after their dreams, both big and small. Both my children are still young, but I’ve kept a notebook for each of them and we jot down games they want to play, places they want to go, and things they want to do. They have just as much fun playing a new game as they do visiting a new state. Most of their day is spent thinking up new things they want to do and doing those things.
But how often do I do that for myself? And how often do I show my kids the little dreams I have and how I’m achieving them? How often do I show that that achieving small dreams can be just as rewarding and exciting as achieving bigger dreams?
I’ve been pretty good at modeling some big dreams I have. My kids have seen me start up a new website. They’ve seen me plan big trips and then take them. But I realized that I don’t often jot down those little ideas that I have – those little things I’d think about that I’d like to do someday.
The thing about little dreams is that you can accomplish them fairly easily. It’s something you can do today that brings you joy and excitement. It’s in doing those new little things every day that you experience life in a vibrant, richer way.
And by consistently achieving little dreams, you’re developing the habit of going after your dreams. When you see how wonderful it can be to do something new each day, to learn something you’ve always been curious about, to experience something unusual, than it’s easier to think about accomplishing those bigger dreams you have. They suddenly don’t look so impossible after all.
So, I’m starting a little dream list – a Simple Everyday Dreams list.
I’ve decided to put some guidelines around my list. Here they are:
- The dreams can’t cost that much– under $20.
- They take less than one week to do
- They don’t need to be planned in much detail
I’m going to share the beginning of my Simple Everyday Dreams list with you below, but here are some things to keep in mind if you’re considering making a list like this for yourself.
1) Put things down you’re excited to do, not things you think you need to do
2) Don’t let this list be set in stone; feel free to cross off things and add to them whenever you like.
3) Write down the date you accomplished each dream. It’ll be fun to look back and see how many dreams you’ve reached.
4) Don’t necessarily set dates when you’re going to do these things or let it turn into another to-do list; do things as they come up naturally and when you feel like doing them.
5) Be curious and live life joyfully!
My Simple Everyday Dreams List (a work in progress)
1. Write a song
2. Eat a cactus leaf
3. Cook risotto
4. Camp out in the backyard
5. Take my grandma to the Czech museum
6. Catch a frog from a river
7. Read War and Peace
8. Serve at a soup kitchen
9. Read a book about the history of the Czech Republic (I’m over half Czech)
10. Visit a candy factory (I’m doing that today!)
11. Paint a picture on a real canvas
12. Take a walk in the woods at midnight
13. Complete a 500 piece puzzle by myself
14. Play a game of chess
15. Fold origami
16. Take a picture of a sunrise
17. Take a bus ride by myself with the kids
18. Make a food from a different country 7 days in a row
19. Celebrate Chinese New Year
20. Make a soufflé
21. Watch maple syrup being tapped from a tree
22. Watch Casablanca
23. Make a homemade smoothie
24. Take a one-day gourmet cooking class
25. Take behind-the-scenes tour of an ice-cream shop
Photo Credit: juliejordanscott
What little dreams do you have that you’ve been putting off? Is there something that you can do this week?