The Freelance Issue No. 15 // The biggest adventure you can take, is to live the life of your dreams
"The biggest adventure you can take, is to live the life of your dreams" - Oprah Winfrey
Most people do not have the courage to live the life of their dreams. Instead they live the life that is expected from them. But who sets these expectations? Society, parents, family, a spouse...or a combination of all of that. I guess that many people completely lost sight of what they actually wanted from life because we live in a society that puts quite a lot of pressure on everyone when it comes to the definition what a good life is and what not. Career and building a family is a top priority in this life model and if you choose to take that route, then you have done it right according to our Western society.
Are you living the life of your dreams? When you ask yourself that fundamental question, what is your honest answer? Is it yes, is it no? Can you give an answer straight away of do you need some time to think about it?
In my case I can say that many versions of my life in the past were the exact opposite of living the life of my dreams. Very often I felt completely stuck and sad in bad situations, horrible jobs that made me mentally and physically sick and still it took me a very long time to get out of that misery and to make changes in order to feel better again. But I made it, better late than never at least and one core thing I learned from that is not to feel stuck too long anymore and to get out of jobs or situations that cost me my health. Now I don't wait anymore so long and make changes before it burns me out again.
Do I live the life of my dreams? Not yet but I am on a good way of getting there - but it takes time. It is a process and nothing that happens overnight. I am a lot closer to living the life of my dreams now than I was one or two years ago and that is a good thing. Taking small steps does the trick and for sure in another one or two years I will be even closer to living the life of my dreams.
In Germany we don't really have this mentality to talk about living and creating the life of our dreams. German society is defined by German Angst and the desire for financial security clouds everything. Taking a risk, becoming an entrepreneur or a freelancer is nothing that easily comes up in the small-minded German mindset that is focused on the unrealistic desire of 200 % security. I don't need to add that this country is the country of all sorts of insurances, well you never know, right. What I miss over here is the American Spirit of taking a risk, starting your own business, becoming an entrepreneur and to be a problem solver in general.
I spent lots of time in the US ever since I was a kid and for sure this influenced the way I think and feel and it certainly shaped my perspective. In Germany most people tend to think in problems, I think in solutions which is not common over here. It is no wonder that we talk about 'The American Dream' and that an equivalent 'German Dream' does not exist and never will exist because it just goes 100 percent against the German mindset.
I believe in Oprah's words and taking all the actions of fulfilling your dreams and creating the life of your dreams is totally worth it. It might not be easy and it will take lots of time and work but it will completely pay off in the end because standing up for yourself, your values, your dreams and becoming who you always wanted to be, that my friends will lead to lots of happiness and satisfaction and also you will feel that you live an intentional life with purpose because you won't feel like you were thrown into something that you never really wanted anyways.
