The recently concluded Miss Universe 2017 reminded me of how inspired I was by Pia Wurtzbach’s (2015 Miss Universe winner) story. She joined Miss Philippines (the pageant that selects the country’s candidate for the Miss Universe and other major international beauty pageants) three times and failed before she finally won and became the country’s representative. The amazing thing was that despite having failed three times, she didn’t give up. She kept trying until she finally won Miss Philippines and even went on to win the Miss Universe crown.

The leaders in my prayer community teach us that if God does not grant us our prayers yet, then it must be because He’s still preparing us so that when we finally get what we ask for, then we will be ready to make the most of it.

This makes me greatly appreciate the reasons why we don’t always get what we ask for… at least not right away. I believe that we miss so many opportunities when they come at the wrong time—because we’re not ready for them yet or because we don’t have the tools to handle them yet.

I know that waiting is hard and frustrating. We often wonder if we’ll ever fulfill our dreams or if we should keep hoping. We sometimes feel that we’d rather just give up and settle for more “realistic” goals.

Well, I’ve learned that waiting for our dreams to come true doesn’t have to be frustrating. There are self-loving ways for us to make this time fun and productive, and before we know it, our dream has already come true!

Self-loving Way #1. Hone your knowledge and skills

Take this time to improve the skills that you’ll need and that will help you make the most of your dream. If your dream is to start a business, then learn the business skills that will help you successfully run it when it does come to fruition.

If your dream is to travel the world, then learn the languages that will enable you to communicate with the people in the places you want to go.

If your dream is to get married, than learn about and develop the traits that will make you a good spouse and parent.

Here are some ways you can hone your knowledge and skills for free:

Read books that are relevant to the fulfillment of your dream.

If your dream is to start a business, then read business books. There are public libraries where you can borrow books from. You can even borrow them from your friends. There are also free eBooks on Amazon Kindle.

Reading books allow you to learn from the experts. You get to imbibe the best practices in navigating your way towards your dream and how to properly handle it so that you can nurture it and make it flourish once you do achieve it.

Get information on the Web

I’m amazed at how you can find information about almost anything on the Internet. There are many articles and blogs that talk about your area of interest. This is a good way to learn from the people who have already undergone what you will go through.

Attend free courses or webinars online

I really appreciate all the experts and gurus who pay it forward by sharing what they know for free. Whatever your line of interest is, you are bound to find an SME or influencer who gives free webinars. There are also many sites, such as LinkedIn, that offer free courses. Although the experts give only a “taste” of what they know in these free courses or webinars, they are often enough for you to learn something new and useful. You often learn enough to get started. One place where you can find plenty of free webinars is Webinara,

Watch YouTube videos

YouTube is another gold mine of information. There’s probably a video for anything you want to know about. I recently started a content services company, and I relied heavily on YouTube and the Web in learning my way around–from creating my website to promoting my services.

A very successful businessman I met suggested that if you don’t have time to read a book, you can at least watch an informational video that’s related to your dream everyday. Surely, if you do this constantly, then you’ll be equipped with so much knowledge from the people who have experienced what you’re about to go through.

Attend free workshops and seminars in your area

Again, it amazes me how so many experts are willing to share their knowledge with others. You should take advantage of these free events. Not everything is taught in school or in books. There are many things you can learn from those who have experience in your area of interest. Personally attending these free workshops and seminars even allow you to ask the speakers questions and to network or meet people of similar interests and who are of like minds.

Self-loving Way #2. Work on Your Relationships.

Make the most of your “waiting period” by working on your relationships. These include your family, friends, and colleagues. Spend time with them. Regularly talk to them, and get to know them on a deeper level. They will provide you with the support you’ll need in reaching your dreams and in sustaining your success.

They will also make the attainment of your dreams more meaningful and fulfilling. Imagine having achieved your dream and not having anyone to share your triumphs with. Blessings always become more meaningful when shared with others.

Self-loving Way #3. Widen your circle of friends by meeting new people

Your world widens when you meet new people from outside your circle. These include people whose backgrounds, beliefs, and interests may be different from yours. I know this can be scary and intimidating at first. We have been conditioned by society to think that those who are different from us must be wrong or must be doing things improperly. We have so many prejudices against them.

I, too, had these misgivings when I first ventured into meeting new people. However, I’ve learned that change doesn’t come if you don’t do anything different. I used to be very shy, but I was determined to overcome my shyness and to become more sociable, so I mustered the courage to meet new people.

The surprising result was that I found it to be easier than I thought. For some reason, I had the notion that people who were different from me would be kind of hostile or judgmental towards me. To my delight, though, I realized that they were very nice, friendly, and non-judgmental.

I’m a Catholic Christian, but I met lot of atheists whom I found to be really kind and accepting despite my difference from them. I met people who were from different cultures. I also met people who were both older and younger than me; those who were more knowledgeable and more novice than me. The wonderful thing was that they were all nice and amazing people.

One of the benefits of meeting new people is that your world becomes bigger. You’re no longer just confined to a specific group of friends, as you constantly make new ones. This will widen your network, which will be helpful as you’ll have more people to support you in achieving your dreams. Some of these people may become your mentors, business partners, clients, travel buddies, and others.

Meeting new people also opens your mind to new insights and new perspectives. This helps you gain a better understanding of the world. It also helps you get rid of your prejudices. You begin to see people as equals regardless of their background. In addition, these new perspectives enable you to re-evaluate your life and to identify areas that you need to improve or explore. In fact, I started this blog because of the things I learned from the new people I met.

How and where do you meet new people? Well, meetup.com is my favorite place for this. Almost every country has a local meetup.com site. Here, you can find various interest groups. What’s good with joining these groups is that you know you already have at least one similarity—a common interest—with their members. Another advantage is that most of the members are strangers to each other. As such, there’s no reason for you to feel left out.

Other places where you can meet new people are in your church or prayer community. You can also volunteer in charitable organizations or actively participate in community events.

Self-loving Way #4. Travel

Traveling allows you to explore the world and meet new people. It’s not only a fun experience but a learning one as well.

It allows you to challenge yourself. You’ll have to navigate your way around a new place. You’ll have to figure out how to communicate with people who can’t speak your language. It pushes you to your limits and gets you out of your comfort zone.

Traveling enables you to learn a new culture, language, cuisine, and others.

It expands your perspective, as you realize that there’s no single way of living life and that your worldview is not the same as that of others.

Traveling gives you the space and time to reflect on your life and to get to know yourself better.

It enables you to better appreciate what you have. You tend to take these things for granted because you get so busy with your daily tasks and responsibilities. Exploring another place can make you realize that you’re lucky to be living where you do and to be living the life that you have.

Traveling with your family or friends enables you to build and strengthen your relationship with them. It allows you to take a break from your busy schedules and to bond with them more.

Going to new places allows you to have an adventure. Adapting to a new place and trying new things (new food, new activities) can be exhilarating.

Traveling lets you relax and rejuvenate so that you go home feeling fresh and ready to face life’s challenges again.

Self-loving Way #5. Work on a project you’re passionate about

Instead of constantly worrying about how you will achieve your goals and when you will do so, another meaningful way to spend your time is to work on a pet project that you have or a passion that you want to pursue. Examples can be starting a blog, writing a book, learning how to cook, or working out.

Pursuing your passion will not only give you a productive way of spending our time; it will also allow you to learn new things, which you can use in pursuing your dreams. It might even unintentionally lead you to your dreams.

Self-loving Way #6. Have fun

Although you’re serious and committed to achieving your goals and reaching your dreams, it doesn’t have to be all work all the time. As the saying goes, all work and no play makes a girl’s/ boy’s life dull.

If you don’t take the time to have fun, then pursuing your dreams can feel more like a chore instead of something wonderful to work for and look forward to. You might get burned out even before your dream gets fulfilled. You have to ensure that the journey towards your dream is something you enjoy going through.

Whether it’s reading a booking, watching movies, eating out with friends, going to parties, or dancing, having fun can rejuvenate you and lift your spirits, making you ready to go back to working towards your dream again.

Self-loving Way #7. Nurture your spirit

Whether you’re religious or not, your spirit is part of you, and it’s something you need to develop and nurture. I’ve realized that regardless of physical riches and good relationships, a person cannot be truly happy and fulfilled if they don’t nurture their spirit, too.

I believe that spirituality is not necessarily tied to religion. There are many religious people who are not spiritual in the same manner that there are many spiritual people who are not religious.

There are many ways by which you can develop your spirituality, but some common ones would be through prayer or meditation, You should also spend time on reflection and introspection. In addition, you can read books by well-known spiritual leaders from whom you can gain wisdom. You can also join spiritual communities, which can provide you the support you need for your spiritual development.

Self-loving Way #8. Surround yourself with people you want to emulate

As motivational speaker Jim Rohn said, we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with. This is based on the premise that we are greatly influenced by those closest to us. They affect our decision, our self-esteem, and the way we think. Although we are our own person, research shows that we are affected by our environment more than we think.

In this regard, if you want to become a business person, then spend time with successful business men and business women. If you’re a single person who wants to get married, then spend time with people who are happily married. By being around the “experts,” you gain access to free resources on the dos and don’ts to succeed at something. You will learn not only from their achievements but from their failures as well.

Self-loving Way #9. Do things that make you happy

Strive to make every moment a happy one. If you’re in a job that doesn’t make you happy, then try to find one that makes you eager to get up every morning. I know this is easier said than done. It’s not that easy to just up and leave a job and find a new one. What you can do is engage in something you like to do after work hours.

In one of my previous jobs, I was working as a Technical Writer for an IT company. and there was a time when we didn’t have any project. I really love to write, and not being able to do so made me frustrated. What I did was that I looked for freelance writing jobs that I could work on at night. I also started blogging.

On another note, if you are surrounded by people who make you feel bad about yourself, then be in the company of people who love you and support you.

If you’re feeling sad, find ways to overcome the negative feeling and be happy.

Conclusion

There are countless productive and meaningful things to do to prepare for the time when your dreams come true. Not only do these things keep you from feeling frustrated and impatient while waiting, they can also help you gain the knowledge and skills that will serve as your tools in making the most of your dream. You will become so “busy” loving yourself that before you know it, you’ve already reached your dream.

What else do you do to make it easier to wait for your dreams to come true?

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