How To Find The Time To Chase Your Dreams

How to find the time to chase your dreams. It’s a loaded subject. One that I’ve been wanting to write about for awhile. You see, I’m not a sugar coat it kind of gal. I’m more of let’s be blunt, direct and to the point kind of woman. I talk to you (readers of this blog) just as I would my clients, my family and my closest friends. I talk to you how I want to be talked to.

I tell you the truth.

So hold on – today’s post is going to be a good one.

But first – let’s recap yesterday. If you’ve been following me on Instagram (which you totally should!) I’ve been sharing a lot about the Women Aware Conference. It was a huge undertaking, but yesterday was THE day. And let me tell you, it was a whirlwind. I promise pictures are coming, but for now make sure to check out my Instagram Stories from yesterday.

As soon as the conference ended I got in a car with two amazing ladies and a guy to drive to another conference that’s happening today. Yep, if you feel like I’m using the word conference an awful lot lately, it’s because I am.

But after today I get to breathe – at least for the month of October before more trips, events and conferences kick in. Then December is usually a bit of a break, but it’s quickly followed by 4 months of tax season. So down time is not really in my vocabulary.

I hear all too often from fellow moms, “how do you have the time?” That’s usually right after the find out about this online blog and business I am also running. The truth is – I have just the same amount of time in a day as anyone else. We all are given 24 hours, but it’s how we use it that makes the biggest difference.

This is where the tough love starts to come in.

When you have goals – big goals, small goals, any goals it’s so easy to tell ourselves we don’t have the time. But in reality what we’re saying 95% of the time is, “we’re afraid to fail.” I get it. I’m afraid of failure, too. My biggest fear as a young child was disappointing my parents. Now as an adult that fear as morphed into disappointing my spouse and my child and myself.

But when you start to look at failing differently then you find the time to chase those dreams.

Look at failing from a new angle – where giving up is failing, where not even trying is failing, and where falling short just means try harder.

Once you start seeing failure as a new idea then you won’t have anything left to do, but try. So when it comes to finding the time I have a few rules that I follow. I ask myself a few things about any new project that I want to take on:

will this help me reach my end goal?
who is going to benefit – me, my family, my community?
do I really have the time to fully commit?

If I can answer these three questions honestly and like my responses then I add it. But when it comes to chasing my dreams I have a few tips to help keep me on track.

Here’s my top tips on how to find the time to chase your dreams:

Know your goals. Goals are a fluid thing in my mind – I know my end goal, the big picture. But the small steps to reach that end goal are fluid and constantly changing.I’m going to get real with you for a second – my biggest goal is to turn this online business into a full-time income while still working my full-time career. Yes, I want more so that I can provide more for my child. I want him to experience traveling to new places, not have to worry about college debt like his parents, and I want to live on land where my closest neighbor is miles away. But to reach those goals I need to be greedy and keep focused.
Your goals may not involve money at all. And yes, I keep talking about goals in the plural sense because you are allowed to hav more than one. They can be back-t0-back or they can be at the same time. But dream big.
Set your priorities. Once you have determined your goals you need to figure out what’s going to help you reach them. Do you need more time to build your business? Do you need more passive income so you can work less and be home more? Do you need to finally take guitar lessons so you can start playing music like you’ve always dreamed?Whatever your goals are – you need to understand what it’s going to take to reach them. Now here’s the tricky thing about goals – not only are they a fluid concept, but the steps to reach them change too. You may set out on a path, thinking that’s where you need to be and then you come to a road block. You’ll have to change directions. It happens. Roll with it.
Always keep moving. Don’t take no for an answer. If you hear a no or are rejected, bounce back and keep moving forward. Your path may change and you may have to attack your goal from a new position, but always keep moving.
Don’t be afraid to use all of your time. Now I’m not suggesting staying awake for a full 24 hours, but be wise of how you’re spending your time. I started blocking my schedule a few months ago and it’s been a game changer. I now know when it’s time to work on my business, my work, home management and all the volunteer work I do. Make sure you’re spending your time wisely so that when it’s time to focus on your dreams you can.