Living in Tomorrow by Chasing the Dream

I love to dream and dream BIG!

What I have to be careful of is not getting so wrapped up my dream that I end up thinking more about my dream then I do about living in the NOW. This happens when I am not happy with where I am at.

Life has its ups and downs; this is normal for everyone. I know that when I’m in the down part of my life I want to escape and hence my mind starts drifting to my dreams. My dream may be that long awaited vacation, redecorating my townhouse or even retirement.

It is wonderful and necessary to plan for our future but there is a fine line between planning for the future and living in the future. It is perfectly fine and healthy to day dream about what we want our future to look like, but when we choose to go there versus dealing with what is happening today, that can be a problem.

Wanting to flee when life is not going well is a common feeling. I know there are days I find myself working on everything BUT what I really need to be working on. Avoidance gets me nowhere. I know what I need to do is start dealing with whatever is going on in my life today. The situation could be a personal conflict, housework or balancing my checkbook.

There was a time when I was dealing with divorce and alcohol recovery at the same time. I can assure you, life was not fun. I was learning to live as a single, sober mom. There were days that I frankly wanted to pull a cover over my head versus dealing with whatever was my burden at the time. I was in avoidance mode for quite a while because I was overwhelmed with life.

What the experience taught me is that problems simply don’t go away. In fact they will probably magnify if I choose not to deal with them. So, daydreaming about how I wish my life was different is not the solution. Prompt action is the solution.

Today I’m pretty good about not living in the future. If I have unpleasant life events going on, I usually am good about doing the next right action step. What my past experience has proven to me is that the circumstances and feelings will pass if I keep moving myself forward.

The reward is a good night of sleep for knowing that I have done what I could that day.