Let's be honest. It's so easy to get distracted these days. I am the queen of it, I think. Rarely can I focus on one thing for more that half an hour before the email that pops up on my dashboard or the text that comes through (or the man at the cafe who continues to chat in my direction) woos me away into the beautiful land of whatever it is that wasn't what I planned on doing that morning. In fact... I actually wasn't planning on writing this post today, but here I am!

At any rate, the good news is there is a guiding light I've found in the wilderness: Dream Journals.

A guidepost, if you will. A thing of beauty that you can (and is a lovely habit) return to daily or weekly to re-focus, re-imagine and re-establish/ground yourself in your goals and journey.

I started my dream journal around four years ago while I was living in South Africa. It's beginnings were small, simply housing my dream to write a fantasy novel and the foundations of a cafe. Then I forgot about it. It wasn't until nearly two and a half years later that the journal resurfaced and I began to take it a bit more seriously. Now my dream journal is home to a whole slew of creative desires, some of them things I'm dead set on seeing come about, some of them passing fancies, but all of them important to the unleashing of my creativity and potential.

Having a dream journal creates a space in your life where you can be reminded of what you are striving for. I truly think that rooted-dreams are simply glimpses of the future should you choose to ride faith, believe and invest hard work (albeit they never seem to come about the way we expect -- just remember that you love ADVENTURE!). You are, after all, a creative being. Your words are powerful, your mind is powerful and what better way to focus those tools than to create a tangible compilation.

Below are a couple guides, questions and ideas to get you thinking and creating:

Don't limit yourself!

Your dream journal can have absolutely anything in it. Places you dream of visiting, people you dream of meeting, things you want to do, foods you want to eat etc, etc.. ex. I have a section of my journal dedicated to the garden I dream of having one day. The page is scribbled with all varieties of fruits and vegetables that I desire to grow

Let go

Let go of self-judgement, expectation, comparison, fear and doubt. Let your heart run wild. It's so important to dream bigger than you ever think possible -- it's only in that place that the impossible can become real.

Ask yourself what you are passionate about?

What makes you laugh? What makes you cry? What stirs your heart? and what are ways you can partner with others or create space for those things to thrive?

Use colors, charts, clippings!

The more detailed, in depth and colorful the more you are going to enjoy creating and the more freedom you will find in that space.

Keep adding!

I've continued adding to my dream journal over the years and it's been really fun to see how far I've come from the sometimes simplistic beginnings.

Don't be afraid to write down things you aren't sure about.

Sometimes it takes us simply writing something down, or saying it out loud to realize it's actually not what we wanted at all. It's okay! We're always learning, changing and growing. There is freedom there!

One of my favorite things about my journal is watching my dreams come to life. I've had the opportunity to cross many of the countries I've dreamed of visiting off my list, or begun to see the wheels churn in the direction of some of my bigger, more impossible dreams. It's not only encouraging but exciting!

AND REMEMBER: it's the people who believe for the impossible and operate in faith that change the world; remember that every dream (and dream actualized), regardless of how big or how small, is supremely important as they remind us that we are not only able, but very much alive.



Dream on,