POD: You, seriously.

POD: You, seriously.

Think of someone (whether you know them personally or not) whose art, work or life you respect and admire: someone you take seriously. Sit with the reverence and respect you have for them for just a moment.

Now ask yourself these questions and write your answers out:

Do you take yourself and your dreams seriously?

How do you show that you do take yourself seriously? Or, if you don’t, what does not taking your life’s work seriously look like, on a daily basis?

What might it look like if you decided, right now today, to take your biggest dream in life very, very seriously?

I take myself more seriously than I should, I find it hard to kick back and have fun.  I have learned to relax but not cut loose.  When it comes to my dreams, I don’t think I take myself serious enough.  I tend to let other things get in front of them, even thing that really have no value or meaning in my life.  I also tend to put my responsibilities to others in front of my dreams – not just my true responsibilities, but those that I have taken on in the past.

If I put my dreams first, I would find time to work towards them daily or at least schedule time to work towards them weekly.  Instead I  try to cram my dreams into small pieces of time that are not carved out, but just happen to occur.  By not taking my dreams seriously, I find myself talking about them frequently but never making movement towards them.  Or taking a few steps forward and then stalling or taking many steps back.  I find myself circling the same dream year after year with little progress in making the dream come true.  Or taking steps that look meaningful but really move me no closer to the fruition of my dreams.

Losing weight and being more physically active is something that I dream of.  For a while I turned my focus onto it, but when the focus faded it all stopped.   Writing falls into a dream I don’t take seriously.  I love to write, but allow other things to stop me from pursuing the projects that God has laid on my heart for this year.  Prayer and meditation also fall into a dream I want to pursue more deeply.  I have a carved out time, but I feel the need to give more time to prayer and meditation.  Pursuing a dream of a nonprofit that helps organize the church to be the hands and feet to meet the tangible needs of those looking for help is another dream I fail to pursue regularly. Yes, when I see an individual need I try to connect, but I want to build organization to it where it is a quick connection.  And a dream of moving someplace warm where I can continue to grow my skills and gifts is now also on that list.

This year my goal is to focus on the things that are important and move away from the things that pull me farther from my dreams.  I have already had to say no to some things that I had thought I could commit to, or things that I have been involved with for some time.  I have said yes to a few things that I previously didn’t have in my life.  And I am trying to put meaningful steps in place for me to take towards my dreams.  Maybe not gigantic leaps but purposeful steps.

I have purposed to turn off the television and disconnect from social media at specific times so that daily I can pursue more purposeful activities.  I have purposed to spend time writing and quieting myself before the Lord.  I have been writing out my prayers so that they are more tangible.  I have stepped out and offered to organize some engagements between organizations and individuals.  And am stepping up to give voice to the needs in the community where I can.

This year I will focus on taking steps towards my dreams.  I will focus on pulling back from things that distract me from my goals and dreams.  I will take daily purposeful steps towards who and where I want to be in the future.

This post is prompted by
Tara-Nicholle Nelson’s 30 Day Writing Challenge for Conscious Leaders.