For many of us, early January is a time of dreaming about the year ahead. I just love taking the time for this with a cup of cacao or tea wrapped in my aqua Afghan made by a friend. Find your special place to focus on your own desires.

Perhaps you dream of following an interest long ignored or deepening love in your life. Maybe, like me, you dream of some new adventures to keep the spark shining brightly. Some women desire to make more of an impact in the world or to slow down and live a simpler life. What are you dreaming of?

Then, what can you do to take your dreams out of the “dream world” and into the life you live?

Bringing to life our deepest desires requires faith and trust because usually it is not clear how we can make them reality. That is a good thing! If you know how to accomplish something, then it is a goal, rather than a dream. We deserve to dream, to expand, to grow. A dream is allowed to come clear and to unfold over time. A dream becomes real through curiosity, exploration, and discovery.

Visioning

Most of us are familiar with the value of making a vision board. Creating a vision board offers the opportunity to use images to clarify what we desire in life. Boards can be created using digital methods or a clip and paste approach. I have drawn images in a journal to help me clarify what my desires might look like in reality. The vision board is simply a tool in service to a deeper process.

Exploration

Approach clarifying what you desire in an expansive way, rather than forcing certainty; surprises may await you. When you commit to a desire, often opportunities and support you have overlooked suddenly become clear. Give yourself the grace of exploration and curiosity.

You might take several days to focus your attention on one of your dreams. Observe what you notice. Follow what you are drawn toward. For example, when I committed to expanding my friendships, a paddling Meet-up group caught my attention. I said “yes” to it, and it has become a central part of my life that I love.

Design Your Moments

The most critical step for your dreams to become your reality is to fully imagine yourself living what you desire. Find one moment in your dream that moves you. Perhaps it is a moment of laughter with friends or sitting in front of a fire with your love holding hands and feeling safe.

Maybe it is a moment of complete contentment or of someone embracing you in gratitude for your service to them. For example, one of my clients imagines attending an outdoor concert, moving to the music, and smiling with her friends under the stars. Don’t you want to be there?

Notice yourself in the moment you imagine. You have become the woman who can experience this love and comfort; the woman with the capacity to serve or to master a new skill. Your dream will become reality when you truly are the woman who can live the life you imagine. When I spent over a year imagining and believing in my life with a loving partner, my real work was to become the woman who could give the love I desired and move beyond my fear of being vulnerable.

Immerse Yourself

The key to putting power in the moments you imagine is to apply all your senses. Become aware of yourself in your inspiring moment. Notice the feelings in your heart. What do you smell? Taste? Are you warm or cool? Exhilarated or calm? What do you see and hear? What and who is around you? This is a full immersion moment!

Finally, find time to experience your moments every day, without fail. This only takes a few minutes. You are, in a way, making this moment a part of you. Then, allow life to unfold in the direction of your desires. It will as you act as though it is coming to be.

Mindset

Changes in life can take some time. Manage your thoughts so what you desire can take form. Here are some areas to notice.

• Yes, you deserve to live the life you desire.
• Clear out disorder and turmoil.
• Allow what you desire to unfold, rather than trying hard.
• Be grateful for what you do have and who you are.
• Let go of what you need to.
• Know that everything you need is available to you.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

I’d love to learn about your heartfelt desires. What practice do you use to dream? What does it feel like to desire something you don’t know yet how to create? What thoughts have stopped you from creating your desires in the past?