#Liveyourdreamlife: How to change your mindset to have the life you truly desire

You know you want that life. You know what are your true dreams. You see that motivation video or read that book and go for the life you want only to find yourself falling for the same procrastination loop by the end of the year where you end up looking behind and realize that nothing has changed?

I had the same problem. And you know what? I’m going to tell you how to kick that loop in the ass:

You know what is the real truth? It’s pretty simple:

“the secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine” ~ Mike Murdock

And in other little things too, but this one is the big secret where all our procrastination in having the life we really want lies. This is it: if you really want to change your life, to really go after the life you want, something needs to give. And that something is your day to day action.

So let see how to have this done, shall we?

1. Believe you are worthy of it

This is the most important step really. Your life is not going to change if you don’t really believe you deserve it. You need to believe you deserve the best life you can imagine. That it’s already on your way. And that you just need to be ready to get it.

2. Surround yourself with things that inspire you

This second step is something I have talked on Instagram this week and that is so overlooked that it’s crazy. We all have already heard that saying “you are the result of the five people you have around you”. Well, you are also the result of the five things you consume daily: books, podcasts, YouTube channels, social media accounts… I have re-posted a story last week of simonandherbooks that shared something so true:

“if all you do, all day long, is binge-eat social media, at night you’ll have explosive diarrhea. It’s an anxiety and garbage bomb because you didn’t consume anything meaningful or nourishing or nutritious. Feel me?” ~ Permanent Record

After all, we are what we eat consume, right? So, write that to-read list of books you absolutely can’t wait to read that you know will inspire you, download a few good podcasts you have been waiting to hear and find the top Youtube channels to follow that will get you in the right mood to get the life you want. E.g.: I’m currently reading #GirlBoss, hearing the goop Podcast (nothing can beat a podcast that starts with Oprah as a guest) and watching Amy Landino and Matt D’Avela youtube channels.

3. Create a vision board for each goal you have

I’m all about vision boards, but creating a whole one for every goal I have has proved as ineffective for me, so I’m going to share a different approach to this top tip: create a vision board for each big goal you have. If creating it by hand or on a program like Photoshop or PicMonkey doesn’t make you feel excited, I recommend you a simple and great way: Pinterest. Open the site and create a board for each goal and start by adding only images that represent what you want to archive. For e.g.: I created a board called Empire and started by adding the first images that came to my mind when I thought about building my Empire. Then I started adding images that would motivate me to work hard on my goal. And I kept on doing it. Every time I find an image that resonates with what my goals are regarding that dream, I add it there. That way, I have a visual inspiration and reminder to kick my ass every time I need to align my priorities. And it works as nothing did before.

4. Have a brainstorm session on how to accomplish each goal above

Now, the second part of the fun commences. You’ll need: the board you have created for each big goal, a notebook or an application like Todoist or Trello and some time only for yourself. Take a day, for example, for enjoying the process and daydreaming. Really embrace it. This is key. Imagine yourself accomplishing every goal, every step. What did you have to do to make it happen? What steps did you have to take? What person did you have to be to accomplish each thing? Write it down! Imagine it happening. Imagine yourself as that person. You are doing it. You are living it. What did you have to do for this to become true? Go, write it, brainstorm everything you know that you have to do to archive it. Thought yourself as the biggest badass version of yourself. Imagine yourself as your own Beyoncé or Obama. Go, write down, everything!

SEE ALSO: How I Got Started and you can do it too

5. Put it on the calendar

This part is the one I was more afraid of, the start of making it happen. Is here I was always failing and now I get why. I was following all those tips on imagining my best life and thinking about what I wanted to do this year, the next, in 5 years, but you know what, that was not working! So how did I manage it to put my big goals on the calendar? I have started by focusing on this decade. I opened my Todoist and created a section for each year in this big goal project, Empire: 2030, 2029, 2028, 2027, 2026 until 2020. Yes, in this right order. That way every time I open the project I see what I envision to be doing in 10 years and I have to scroll the whole decade until this year’s goal plan. I have thought about changing this before but found out this was actually a pretty effective way to remember myself of the way I want to take and keep me motivated and focused. On that page it’s the real plan I’m going to take to archive my decade vision. There I have divided the above brainstorm actions for the year in each I want to archive it. This was so eye opened and revigorating. I felt energized and really in charge of my goals, for once. Do it, don’t be afraid. Put it in the calendar this way, this is the first step to actually get everything done and in the order that it needs to be done. And take the time to imagine it really happening in that year, because it will happen. If you focus on that.

6. Focus on this year & month

Now, what have you decided to have accomplished by the end of this year? After completing the last point you know that this is not a scary question anymore because you already know what you want and need to accomplish this year to get the whole vision becoming a reality. Now divide it by months. I used the Your Best Year method to plan my year, but if you are not in the mood of reading the whole book, you can do it basically by 1) putting in the calendar what is already taking place in your life in each month, 2) add the actions you need to make it happen so your vision for the year comes true. Be true to yourself: if you know that August is your summer holiday month, don’t plan on having a big project to be done there, the same with December, if you like to take the month for really enjoying the holidays and focus on family. If it is something that you know it will take more than that month to get it done, add it to the month you think you should start working on it too: example launching that product, you need to start planning it 3 months before, add it to the month you want to launch and to the one when do you want to start planning it. That way, at each start of the month you have already what is going to be your focus. Easy peasy. How do I do this step? I actually use the Future Log of my Bullet Journal, so I don’t clutter my Todoist project, this way I have the year vision in there and my monthly vision in my notebook. But you are free to do it the best way for you.

7. Take a day at a time

And we arrive to the quote above: “the secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine”. A little progress each day is the way to your dream life, so let’s see how you can do it: take 1 hour each day to work toward your dream. Yes, it is that simple. Yes, I have also tried to do this so many times before and have ended up failing or worse, procrastinating. So, here are my tips to get this done: 1) If you can’t arrange a whole hour to work on these goals, they are not as important as you think – you need to really want them, because what is an hour really? One or two episodes of that boring Netflix tv show (yes, I’m watching you Riverdale fans, we know that we could win a lot more if we work on our goals and skipped this season – btw, wtf is happening there?), that hour mindless scrolling Instagram in the morning, that binge-watching on Zoella youtube channel? It’s one hour, you can do it if you really want. 2) Schedule it in your calendar and add there what you want to get archive during that hour. Yes, putting it only as “work on my empire” doesn’t cut it, you need to plan the real work you will get done there: e.g. “Edit this week’s blog post”.

8. Check your progress routine weekly

See what I have done there? Everyone says progress but I say routine because this is the big change that gave me the best effects. 1) I have fully adopted the Calendar Blocking approach after years of using my Google Calendar religiously. 2) I have jumped in the Time Batching wagon and have created a routine I know I need to do weekly so I archive my month goals. Now I have my priorities divided by the weekdays. One day is for each thing and you know what Saturday is for? Family and Friends. Yes, I have taken a day for only that. This way, having a batch weekly routine I know what I’m focusing on each day. The secret in this step is on getting what you know you need to do weekly on paper and then assign it to a day of the week in which you know you would be more productive doing it – e.g.: I have put Monday as my less Productive day since it was always my laziest day – I use this day to focus on getting my motivation and focus ready for the rest of the week and just focus on taking it easy. 3) I review how I went each end of the week. Does the routine has worked? If not, I will change it. And that way I got to change my routine until it worked for me. Simple like that.

9. Just do it

Yes, planning is a big part of every goal plan, but you need to take real action. You have your calendar on point, now sit on your desk, get that cup of coffee, put on that badass playlist and get to work. Open your vision board if you need to remember yourself why you are doing it and go for it: be your badass self. Go for your dream life. You got this!

 

So, what do you think? Let me know if these tips worked for you and let me know below if you have any other good ones that worked for you!

 

PS: as I have shared on Instagram, I have been attacked by my 3rd trimester really strong and my brain is still not 100% (and I don’t know if it will be again before this kid comes, help!!!!!!), so forgive me if this post isn’t the best written. I have tried but my brain can’t write in English better than a primary school kid, apparently. I will edit in the future when the “partolândia” (“deliveryland”) goes away.