Are your children at school or do you have elderly or sick relatives?
Perhaps you are struggling with money issues and you simply cannot contemplate following your dreams right now.
If your life and all of its responsibilities are currently holding you where you are now, don’t beat yourself up about it.
The trick is to try not to get stuck in a cycle of self-pity although I appreciate that it can be very easy to feel trapped. You need to take action now. But where do you start?
Think big. Impose no limits
The following is a precis of a couple of the first few activities that you will be asked to complete once you have signed up to the Smash the Pumpkin Project.
Write lists. I am a great advocate of lists in any form, and at this stage you need to write out two different types of bucket lists –
a) a list of your wildest dreams and
b) a list of your objectives and goals
The first list is called your Dream List
This is a list of the things that you would do if money and personal circumstances were absolutely no barrier.
It should be comprised of your wildest dreams. Simply write – don’t stop and don’t impose any limits on yourself. The following are some examples of what is top of some lists –
- to live in a lodge by the edge of a lake
- to design, make and sell jewellery
- to have major cosmetic surgery
- setting up and running an NGO
- to be the Prime Minister
The other list is your Challenge List
This is a list of the things that you have not yet done but which will force you to step outside of your comfort zone and it should include activities which may be required if you are to follow your passion.
Some will be simple but may be a personal challenge to you, others will be harder to organise and achieve, but all will be valuable. When asked, people listed such diverse things as –
- go to a theatre or cinema show alone
- stay in a dormitory in a backpackers hostel
- learn a foreign language
- stay overnight in a strange city
- study for a mathematics qualification
The two lists will probably look very different and both have different purposes.
They can be as long or as short as you like and they can be added to over time – but do not delete any entries once they are on a list.
Put the lists away for a week and whilst you can bring them out to add to them, try not to think about what you have written or the logistics about how on earth you are ever going to begin to train to be an astronaut!
CLICK HERE to learn more about the Smash the Pumpkin Project
