I remember returning from a family vacation to the Outer Banks in North Carolina. My husband and I rented a beach house and invited our family.
We had twelve people join us. It was amazing.
We played outside at the beach and pool all day, ate our meals together every night, played games, laughed and loved on each other. It was a dream come true.
You see, my husband and I have been married for nine years and have a blended family. Five children and two grandchildren between us.
It has not always been easy. In fact, there were times when it was very difficult and we could never imagine such a drama free, bonding, loving week at the beach together.
But we CHOSE to imagine it. We chose to desire it. We chose to make it happen. It happened because we thought it up.
Anything we want in life is like planning a vacation.
Where do YOU want to go?
What do YOU want?
A loving, bonded family? A successful business? More money? A better marriage? A better body? A partner? Health? Happiness?
You have to tell your brain where you are going and then it will go to work for you.
For years, my husband and I said, "Wouldn’t it be nice to take all the kids to the beach for vacation?"
And each year we didn’t do it. Why? Because we didn’t tell our brain to do it. We wished for it. We hoped for it. We even dreamed about it.
However, in order to go on vacation you have to make the decision. I am going to go to the Outer Banks. Then your brain goes to work for you.
When? June. Where will you stay? Google beach houses. How will you get there? Google maps. Who will you invite? What will you pack? What will you do when you get there?
Your brain will lead you step by step through the process of planning a vacation.
In the meantime, you feel excited and anticipate feeling the warm sun on your skin and the hearing the crashing waves of the ocean and spending time laughing with your loved ones.
Which then motivates you to keep planning and doing what you need to do until you have arrived.
Circumstance: Vacation
Thought: I am going to the Outer Banks
Feeling: Excited
Action: Start gathering information
Result: Go to the Outer Banks
Stop wishing for what you want and tell your brain what is going to happen. It wants to help you get what you want. But it needs clarity. It needs direction. It needs you to be the boss.
That vacation wasn’t just going to happen to me. I needed to think it up, decide, and then take action to make it happen.
So where do YOU want to go? What do YOU want? The first step is to stop wishing, stop hoping and decide that it is going to happen.
You only have one life to live. Decide to make it great!