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Sleepwalking through life
Answer by Mike Blissett
Jayne asks:
I'm self-employed (in a job that I sleepwalk through) and have moved away from where all the work is to live with my parents, travelling to do chunks of work (staying with friends) every so often.In my weeks at home I planned to work on projects I've always dreamt of doing. But my time there is filled with worry about not being able to buy a house and support myself with my 'dream work' and I end up putting it aside. I feel trapped at my parents and want my own place.
But at the moment there's no way. I could get a job there but I know I'd be sleepwalking there too and then nothing's changed.
Mike says:
Hi Jayne,
I appreciate you've been sleepwalking for a while, but now it's time to WAKE UP!! Your letter is very general; I don't know where you are, what you've been doing, what in-between jobs you've been taking, and what you want to do. Phew.
A good place to start is by imagining your ideal life. Visualize it (notice, I did not say 'dream'), make it real and as vivid as possible. Don't worry if it doesn't come first time, this is intended to be a regular exercise.
Write down what you see as your ideal life, again in intricate detail - make it wonderful.
Now, chunk backwards, and down to 'bite sized' pieces, all the way back to this week, and then to today. What is the first thing you can do today to move you towards your goal? What are the next 5 things, then 10, this week, next week, and so on? Again, make lists and write it all down. Tick each one off when accomplished, and if one particular action irritates or scares you put it to the top of the list and make sure you do it first!
Once we have a plan and can see light at the end of the tunnel life becomes easier. Suddenly even if we have to take a less than ideal job along the way, we know why and have focus, so we still get to where we want to go.
There is no substitute for action, Jayne. Visualize, rather than dream - and then make that visualization become reality. Do it - and begin today.
All the very best.
This is question 10 of 41
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