Live Your Dream, Not the American Dream!

Live your dream life with enthusiasm.

You will soon be able live your dream life with no barriers, no limitations, and no excuses. In the post-pandemic era you will no longer be constrained in how you are able to approach life. This is a great time to pause and take note of where you are in your life’s journey and decide how you want to reassert yourself in pursuit of our goals.

You may be one hundred percent content with your accomplishments up to this point and your plans to push forward. Or, you may know that you aren’t quite where you wanted to be at this point in your life.

In either case, this is an opportunity to take an honest look at your values and reestablish life goals. 

Were you living your dream life pre-COVID-19?

I ask this question because while this (hopefully) once in a lifetime pandemic had a significant impact on our everyday lives, at some point things will return to the “new normal.” You can bet that the new normal will quickly look like the old normal. We will get back into our routines and life will look a lot like it did just a few years ago.

What are you going to do with your experiences after the pandemic?

Your environment has a lot of impact on how your life looks. Do you allow your environment to shape you or do you attempt to shape your environment? If you have decided to pursue financial independence you are likely in the latter camp.

It is one thing to think that you have learned so many lessons due to the detour the world has taken but it is also human nature to have a short memory, to fall back into old habits. Don’t let this be you.

I don’t know what lessons you learned but if you think you learned any, think about how to put those lessons learned into action. Reflect on the things you believe to be important for how you want to live your life.

You can live your dream life!

When you were young, you had dreams. Then life happened. Sure it may have been naive to really believe you could be an astronaut like you thought when you were seven. Dreams change as you grow. And that is just fine. But what isn’t fine is when we lose focus or begin to believe that we can’t achieve our dreams.

So, as we grow, we have our dreams and then we hear the phrase “the American dream.” What is the American Dream? The American dream is a belief that with enough hard work and dedication, anyone can achieve whatever they desire in life.

Is the American dream possible?

Is this the correct question to be asking?

It’s a great thought, but is the American dream possible? I don’t know. The American dream may be a myth. We heard it so much growing up. “You can achieve the American dream.” It seemed like a slogan. And I think that is exactly what it is. It is a phrase that we can use for banners and bumper stickers to make us feel good about being American and living in America. 

It messages a sense of optimism.

I’m all for optimism but what practical use is a general slogan? How does identifying and believing in the American dream help any individual actually plan and live their lives?

Social norms are generally tied to the American dream – home ownership, having a nice car, a well-paying 9-5 job, 1.93 children, etc. But what if you don’t want those things? Are you somehow spitting in the face of the American dream?

Of course not.

Is the American dream a myth?

It doesn’t matter if the American dream is dead or a myth or even possible or not because it isn’t practical.

You want what you want.

You have unique personal values and goals and if you are truly aligning your values and your decision-making you aren’t at all concerned about some ideal. It doesn’t impact your happiness one way or the other. I would argue it negatively impacts your happiness if you blindly adhere to slogans rather than seek a life path that makes you happy, genuinely happy.

Live your dream from this day forward!

What do you think about when you think of re-starting the old routine of traffic, work, then more traffic?

Does the weight of ongoing student loan or other debt darken your optimism?

Are your relationships healthy? What are you doing about it?

Are you happy with your current employment? If not, what actions are you taking to change that?

You have many questions that you can ask yourself. You know yourself better than anyone. If you find yourself generally unhappy, unfocused, wandering without clear purpose and direction, then you have work to do.

Once you start doing the work, no matter how daunting or challenging, you’ll begin to feel that renewed sense of optimism. That same optimism that immigrants use to fuel their journey to America. The belief that you have the power to shape your future and live your dream life.  

How to live your dream life 

We are not a one-size-fits-all society. We are not all chasing the same dream. You do not have to defer to social norms. You are unique and you have the ability to live your own unique dream. I’d like that to be what we think of when we think of the American dream.

If you are not clear on how you can move forward toward living your dream life, begin by spending some energy determining what you value most in life. Imagine, in great detail, what your dream life looks like. How do you spend your time? Who do you spend it with? Where do you spend it? 

Your dream life may include quitting your current job, moving abroad, or starting a business. The best part is that this is your vision for your life and you no longer have to find joy in what society deems valuable. This is your dream!

Once you have your dream life depicted, create a plan to achieve it. Break these big dreams into smaller, manageable tasks and take one step at a time. 

Of course finances will be an important part of your future so consider that responsibly. From there, prioritize which things to do first, because it can’t all happen at once.

When we disconnect ourselves from this American dream idea, we can start living an intentional life. We can live a life driven by our innermost passions. We can expect to live a happier, more fulfilled and purposeful life.

Perhaps at some point in the future, people supporting each other on their own unique paths becomes the new American dream.

But, until then. Dream Big!

We are on this planet for a blink of an eye. Live your dreams.

By Kelly Blodgett of moneygalcoaching.com