The Time is Now: Manifest Your Dreams

Hi, my name is Suzanne. I’ve been hiding behind a mask for a while, the moniker Modern Yogi, which I told myself was just a brand name for the huge movement I was creating. It was actually a wall I built out of fear. Manifesting your dreams requires fearlessness. It’s time to rip off this mask and show my true self to the world.

I thought if nobody knew who I was, then I wouldn’t look stupid for thinking the way I do, acting the way I do, and writing the words that I do. I’m done hiding. I’m ready to manifest my dreams.

Before, I worried that if my freelance writing clients Googled my name and saw this yoga stuff, they’d think I was a flake and not want to work with me. I worried what people would think, mostly people from my past who I barely talk to anymore because the people currently in my life express nothing but support for my ideas, no matter how wacky.

 

The time is always now. It’s time to manifest your dreams.

 

Living the dream requires not worrying what people think, jumping into water that may feel chilly at first but will soon warm after an adjustment period.

A lot of people — especially creatives — have secret lives lying coiled up inside them that they hope will spontaneously unfurl in the magical world known as tomorrow. We hope that our life’s destiny has no choice but to miss us. Then the years go by and we never do encounter the right opportunity to lift us out of life’s everyday monotony and onto the world stage.

I’m now 33 (gasp, she’s saying her age, too!) and I really thought I’d be an author or some type of phenom by now. Instead, I’m still trying to figure it all out. I’ve lived too much in my head and not enough in my heart. Too much in my imagination and not enough in real life.

So I’m going live, putting my name to it, and hoping that some of you join along to manifest your dreams as I work towards my own.

Getting to this point has been a long journey, and below are some things that helped me evolve from frightened to fierce. Whether you’re just starting out or looking for some inspiration to fuel a smoldering fire, I hope you find these tips helpful.

 

1. Social media is your friend

Social media is an awesome way to start putting yourself out there as you start to manifest your dreams because you can hide behind the Internet. (Be nice!) No matter what you want to create — art, music, poetry — others are already sharing. Join in the fun, make connections and support others. Experiencing positive reactions to your work builds confidence.

 

2. Consistency

Achieving anything in life requires consistency, especially working to manifest your dreams, so make sure to commit to a schedule and stick to it. Not only does this help you create the habit of constantly putting yourself out there, it also forces you to create even when finding inspiration takes effort.

Creating on a schedule, and not only when the muse strikes, is part of being a professional. Proving to yourself that you’re capable of producing on a regular basis is important if you want to make a living doing what you love.

 

3. Feed your brain with soul food

Read positive books, surround yourself with positive people and images of inspiring quotes. If you stuff your brain with all the positive messages you can find, it’s only a matter of time before you feel compelled to manifest your dreams.

Social media offers the incredible opportunity to connect with people you find inspirational. Follow Instagram and Facebook accounts for the people you look up to. Besides the inspiration, you’ll  be privy to behind-the-scenes glimpses that show you what it takes to live the dream.

One important side note: Jealousy. It’s really easy to envy those who’ve made it, whose lives seem perfect and who seem to have everything you want. First, nobody’s life is perfect. Second, everyone has their own journey through life and comparisons are futile. There’s nothing wrong with being a late bloomer.

But third, and most important, realize that jealousy is just a signal, alerting you to what you want. Jealousy is not necessarily the best emotion, but it’s a powerful tool for transformation that helps you realize your deepest desires.

No emotions are bad emotions; all feelings lead us deeper inside ourselves where true healing and transformation happens.

 

4. Let go of the need for perfection

We all have an ideal in our heads, the vision of what we could become. That ideal sometimes motivates us, but other times is just a bar we hit our heads against despite our best efforts.

So let good enough be good enough.

Excellence only comes through practice, through putting yourself out there. Go through the fire of not liking what you produce. It’s the only way to get better. You will manifest your dreams.

 

5. Feel the fear and do it anyway

You’ll probably be scared taking those tentative first steps. Do it anyway. After you take those first steps, you’ll probably want to take it all back, fearing what others think or worrying you’ll fail.

It’s ok. Keep going. The truth is that everybody’s scared and nobody really knows what they’re doing. Some people are just better at forging forward despite negative self-talk. Tell yourself your awesome and keep going. You will manifest your dreams.

 

Edited a year later to add: It gets so much easier!

 

6. Focus on how far you’ve come and not how far you have to go

Comparing your efforts with those of people who have already achieved what you’d love to is a sure recipe for disappointment. Your first is never going to be your best. And the applause will never be loud for someone just beginning.

So believe in yourself, believe in your gifts and put yourself out there. The only other choice is to let the years go by and keep your dreams locked up inside your heart. That’s sad. Just do it!

 

What are your tips for overcoming fear and putting yourself into the world?

 

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