Are you living someone’s else’s dream?
3 chapters…
01.
I’ve been reorganising my business hub setup in Notion. Moving things around, making everything flow better together, and making everything look prettier. Function and aesthetics are equally important to me! As I was sorting and beautifying, I came across an old post from Elizabeth Gilbert that I‘d diligently copied and pasted for future reference but then promptly forgot all about, until now. At the top of the post was the statement, ‘Thought of the Day: DON'T LIVE SOMEBODY ELSE'S DREAM.’ And yes, it was capitalised, and rightly so, because this is important stuff, isn’t it?
02.
In the post, Liz went on to describe all these paths that she did not take in her life because they weren’t her dream, they were someone else’s. She never had children, never took up the offer of a TV show after the success of Eat, Pray, Love, never hired a team of assistants and consultants to grow her brand, never took a nice steady job teaching writing at nice college - because they were somebody else’s dream, not hers. At the end of the post, she asked, WHAT MAKES YOU COME TO LIFE? And yes, that was capitalised as well. For her, it’s writing books and I presume, the speaking and workshops she runs. That’s her dream.
03.
It got me thinking about whose dream I was living? If you’d asked me a few years ago, I would have said, ‘Huh?’ And then, ‘Mine, of course!’ But then I would have slunked away, really reflected on it, and, reluctantly, concluded that I was living the dream of the person who wanted a safe-ish psychology career while still getting to create some things. If you asked me now, I’d say, ‘Well, I’ve spent most of my career living the safe and sensible dream and now I’m actually living mine, the one I’ve always dreamed of. My dream is being an author entrepreneur.’ Does that mean every day is easy, rosy and doubt-free? Unfortunately not. But in response to Liz’s question, is it what makes me come to life? Definitely. Absolutely. No doubt.
Here’s the question that Liz shared at the end of that post: Whenever you are given any choice or opportunity, ask: ‘Will saying YES to this path bring me closer to the source that brings me to life? Or will it take me further away?’ Ooh, how potent!
3 endnotes…
I’ve started watching Running Point, the new TV series with Kate Hudson on Netflix. She becomes President of the family business - a mega basketball franchise - after her brother’s drug meltdown. This is so fun! I particularly love the banter between brothers and sisters, and Hudson’s relationship with her best friend, who is also an exec at the company. Recommended!
In writing news, the manuscript of my second book is now with my copy editor. She sent me the most kind message back - saying how excited she is to dive in, and encouraged me to rest, relax and enjoy the time away from the text. I’ve been trying to take her advice! Although, the manuscript is due back soon so, yikes!
I really want to try this Healthy Chocolate Pancakes recipe. Might be on the agenda for this weekend!
Until next time, love to you and yours!
