Dream. Dream big, fat, juicy amazing dreams. What do you have to lose? And what if those dreams come true? They never will if you don’t envision them. Living By Design is living the life you want, not what just comes across your path.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory that is within us. It’s not just in some of us, it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”~Marianne Williamson

I love this quote! My favorite part is “WHO ARE YOU NOT TO BE?” For years, I hid behind myself. I don’t know why. I wish I could explain it to you here. I wish I could explain it to myself. I KNEW I had some serious power inside, but for some reason I shied away from showcasing it. With age and experience, I’ve learned that dreaming big dreams and acknowledging that I CAN achieve them – and that it’s not something to be guilty about – has given me an amazing sense of freedom that I wish for everybody to experience.

I believe that living (and not just existing) begins with dreaming those big, fat juicy and ridiculousy inspiring big dreams. Write them down. Give them power. Then let them fly free and grab them when the opportunity presents itself. But you have to be willing to recognize those dreams – and go to the edge sometimes. Calculated risks can offer some ridiculously immeasurable rewards.

Start today. Right now. Take a moment and just write one super amazing and seemingly impossible dream. Fold it up, put it in your wallet (or your jewelery box or vanity drawer or wherever you will occasionally see it but not obsess over it). Put the date on the piece of paper, and then write down some steps you will need to achieve that dream so that you will recognize the opportunity when it presents itself. (For example, if you want to complete a marathon, you will need to determining a training program that might work for you, then find a group to train with, then identify a marathon and register for it, and then watch out! Because before you know it, the marathon date will be here and you will have accomplished that crazy dream of yours when you cross the finish line.)

Feeling really crazy? Write your dream below in the comments.

One of my dreams IS to complete a marathon. I’m training. I just need to register for it. I know the event and the date, I just haven’t made the payment (translation: I have yet to fully commit). So I will practice what I preach and sign up for it this week.