The quote above is from one of my favorite movies, "Shawshank Redemption." I loved the movie so much, I used to practice lines from the movie in my acting classes.
Have you ever caught yourself saying, "this is not how my life is supposed to be!" We starting blaming others for our life, but we rarely take personal responsibility. That's how our society is. Blame someone else. I'll admit it, my mind has gone there more than a few times. That's when I realized the reason I wasn't living my dreams was me! I was choosing the wrong my mindset. I had a fixed mindset and not a growth mindset.
"Living FRESH" means you're getting the full experience. You are cooking up the dreams you hunger for. And it all starts with you. It's about what you do, not about what you think or say!
I know what you're asking, "What do you do to Live FRESH?" My simple answer is this. You have to stop doing 5 things.
Stop Lying...Stop Trying...Stop Caring...Stop Worrying...and Stop Waiting!
What does that mean?
#1 Stop lying!
You have dreams, some become reality and others don't. Why aren't your dreams becoming a reality? Why aren't you living them? Do you make excuses? Do you blame other people? You have to stop lying to yourself! When you don't live the life of your dreams, you get angry, depressed and start to doubt yourself. You lie to make yourself feel better. You lie to protect yourself. You lie to justify why your dreams aren't coming true. The truth is, every time you lie, you are preventing yourself from living life.
It's one thing to lie to other people, but when you lie to yourself, you are hurting yourself. If you are not achieving the personal and professional dreams you want to live, you need to be honest with yourself. You have to change your thinking. You can't blame other people, you must take personal responsibility. You have to ask yourself, "Am I doing what it takes to make my dreams come true?" You need to set a goal. You need to make a plan. You need to execute your plan. You MUST BE HONEST others and most importantly yourself.
#2 Stop Trying!
What are your dreams? What do you want to accomplish? Don't live the dreams of someone else. Live your dreams. Don't try to be someone else. It's hard enough being you. Be yourself. Stop trying to be something that you're not.
Don't be the next (Insert Name Here), be next to you! Be the best version of yourself. Excel at being you. Maximize your potential.
People spend too much time trying to be something there not. I love what Yoda says in The Empire Strikes Back, "Do or do not, there is no try."
What makes you happy? Why do they make you happy? Write those thoughts down, make them into goals, put together a plan to make them happen and go out and do what it takes to make them happen!
#3 Stop Caring!
What do you care about? Who truly cares about you? Stop caring about the thoughts and opinions of people who don't care about you and your dreams. This doesn't mean you surround yourself with a bunch of "YES PEOPLE." You want to be around people who truly CARE for you and your dreams. People who COMMUNICATE, APPRECIATE, RESPECT and EDUCATE you. People spend too much time worrying about the thoughts and opinions of people who don't care about them or love them. You need to value the opinions and feedback of the people who truly care about you.
#4 Stop Worrying!
Once you stop caring, you can stop worrying too! Stop worrying about things you can't control. Worry about the things you can control. You can't change the weather, but you can decide the appropriate clothing to wear for the weather. You can check the weather report. You can stay inside or go out.
When you focus on things you can't control, you become stagnant. Your worries paralyze you. Your worries prevent your dreams from coming true. Worry more about the actions you can take, versus what you can't do. Focus more on what can go right versus what can go wrong. Focus about what you can control. Where your mind goes, your body will follow.
Worriers are Fears. FEAR is FALSE EVIDENCE APPEARING REAL. When you worry about what you can control, you are doing research. You are searching for the truth. You are focusing on what is possible.
#5 Stop Waiting!
I hear people say "I hope this happens." "I'll get to it tomorrow." "When "X" happens, then I'll do "Y"! "My dream will never come true." "I don't have the time." "I don't have enough money." "People will laugh at me." "I'll try another time."
Tomorrow isn't guaranteed. All of the excuses above are made by people waiting for something to happen. The main difference between people who successfully achieve their dreams and people who don't... successful people make things happen, they don't wait for things to happen.
You can't win the lottery if you don't play!
If your dreams are truly important to you, you need to show a sense of urgency. The dream doesn't have to come true right now, but you can start working on it right now. Whether you start writing down or typing the idea, you share the dream with a friend, you make a plan, or you do research on your dream you are not waiting, you are doing.
Be a person of action. Make your dreams come true. Be honest with yourself, be yourself, seek out the support and advice from people who care about you, don't let your worries stop you and make things happen.
"The more you dream about your dreams, they further away they get." Frank Kitchen
To live the dreams you hunger for, you must change your mindset! Stop lying, trying, caring, worrying and waiting so you can start living! Live FRESH!
