How to live your dreams

Step 1: Pay attention.

Have you ever made your dream your reality?

I did. It's been a letdown.

18 months ago, I quit my corporate job to write full time.

During my 6 years in the corporate world, my friends and family heard the same thing, over and over again:

“I just want to write.”

For me, my dream job was sitting in a coffee shop, armed with a MacBook, a red Pilot G2 pen, and a half-gallon of medium roast, clacking away at a keyboard and calling my own shots.

I wrote this post in a coffee shop.

My table is covered with my writing weapons of choice.

I’m wrapping up early today — and I’m not checking with a boss to make sure it’s ok.

Point is … I’m doing it.

This is my dream. Right here. For the better part of a decade, I said this was all I wanted. Once I got here, I’d be happy.

- I just wanted to write. 
- I just wanted to work for myself.
- I just wanted to make a living doing what I was best at.

And you know what?

It doesn’t feel like a dream.

Why?

Because I’ve moved the goalposts.

A year ago, it was “If I make a living writing, I’ll be happy.”

Today, it’s “If I make 2x more money, I’ll be happy.”

Next year, I’ll convince myself I’ll finally reach Shangri-La once I make 2x more than that.

At any given time, something you’re doing now is something you dreamed about in the past. Something you always wanted. Something you told yourself you’d give anything to have.

But because we're so focused on what's next, we forget to savor what's now.

• Stop. 
• Breathe. 
• Appreciate.

Sit with it.

Take a second to acknowledge your progress, to appreciate how far you’ve come, to let 2010 You take a glimpse at 2023 You’s remarkable achievements.

Life is a never-ending road trip. There isn’t a destination. There’s no ETA. We’re all just traveling, going up hills and down valleys, grinding through traffic jams, and flooring it when the highway opens up.

The view out the window isn’t always pretty. So you might as well appreciate the beauty when it’s there.

Don’t spend too much time looking toward tomorrow. Appreciate what you’ve accomplished in the present.

In some component of your life — at this exact moment — you're living your dream.

Let yourself enjoy it.