“It’s time to start living the life you’ve imagined.”
~Henry James

I was talking with a colleague the other day. We had both been working on crafting our “dream life” – detailing what we wanted, what we wanted to be doing, and how we wanted to be living. He was explaining his goals and dreams to me, and also explaining the things that had to fall into place before he could realize his dreams and goals.

As I listened to him, I could hear myself judging him in my mind. “Just jump in and do some of this,” I thought. “Just go for it. Stop wasting time.”

As I heard myself judge him, I also heard my inner judgment of myself. Because I also put my dreams on hold until….

Until my daughter is out of college. Until my son is in college. Until I get this done. Or that done. Until I’m caught up on my work. Until I have more time.

There are, or can be, endless “until”s that will, and do, stop me. Or make me stop myself. And as I believed about my colleague – that he should stop waiting “until” and start living the life of his dreams – I knew about myself. And my friends. And my family. And my clients.

It is easy to let the “until”s stop us, and it is also possible to dive in and live the lives we’ve imagined now. We might not get everything we want, but we certainly could have more of what we want.

If my imagined life has time for relaxation, I can work in at least a few minutes each day to relax and enjoy. If my imagined life includes more writing, I can spend time writing each day or each week. If my imagined life involves different work, or a different living situation, I can spend time researching my options, or taking steps for moves and changes. If my imagined life yields me deeper and more genuine relationships, I can work on those now.

I have the chance – and the choice – to begin living my imagined life today. First I have to imagine it, and then I have to decide to start living it.

How are you living the life you imagined?
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If you want to live the life you’ve imagined, contact Lisa at lkohn@chatsworthconsulting.com.

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