You Are An Explorer

You are an explorer! You are! Seriously. If you are here, in this moment, reading these words, you have an inner explorer with big dreams, an open heart and a desire that is bursting to get out. You hide, even though what you want most is to jump out in front and live the life in your heart.

You worry that to explore means abandoning everything you’ve built and all the loved ones you surround yourself with. You worry that they will judge, that others won’t recognize you for who you are. You worry about what strangers will say. You worry about failing. You worry about going broke. You worry about . . . oh you worry so much.

Will you set your worries on a shelf for a moment? Just set them aside long enough to look a little closer at your big dream, your open heart and burning desire.

What is your dream? Can you describe it? What does it feel like? Is it playful? Is it determined? Is it colorful? Is it sleek and monochromatic? What does your dream look like? Are you flying around the world? Cozying up in your dream cottage? Stepping foot back in the dance studio? Penning the novel that haunts you every night when you try to close your eyes? Are you fighting for social justice? Do you make the world more beautiful with floral designs?

Start by writing five simple sentences to describe your dream. Use a journal, or a google doc, or the receipt from your breakfast sandwich or my downloadable Explorer Guide to fill in these sentences and capture any other thoughts that bubble up.

My dream is to……

I feel …… when I step into my dream.

What I love most about my dream is….

If my dream became my reality my life would change in these ways . . . .

My dream will most benefit . . . . by . . . . .

Now, take a deep breath. Take another deep breath and finally one more deep breath.

It’s time to create some visuals. Start a Pinterest Board. Open up Photoshop or Canva. Grab a journal or paper and the stack of magazines you’ve been planning to read all month (or for years). Start finding pictures that describe your dream, not necessarily logically, but emotionally and personally. Tear pictures, pin pictures, google pictures and put them in one place.

Now, put them together. There are no rules here. Just make them beautiful, beautiful to you. There is no right way or wrong way. You cannot mess this up. I don’t care if there are patches of glue or if your Pinterest board will never gain any followers. This is your dream and it’s not ready for any judgement.

Sit back and take a look at your mini-dream map. She’s pretty isn’t she? She’s all yours and you’ve just begun.