Living Life

The Life of Your Dreams

The purpose of the 7 Daily Nuggets is to teach us what we need to know to live a prosperous life; the things that we may not have learned or are not currently learning in church, school, home or at work. Let’s apply what we learn here and share these nuggets with others. We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give. Be a giver in a world of takers.

Are you living the life you thought you would as a kid? Have you ever thought of why you are not living a better life? Something happened along the journey you may not even realize. You are trapped and you don’t even know. Here are 7 reasons why you may not be where you wanted to be.

1.    Define. We don’t define what we want. How can you hit a target you don’t have? Yet the majority of people go through life without writing down what they expect to accomplish in their lifetime. Find you purpose and live it. Most people don’t love what they do because they did not take the time to define what they want. Some people know what they want but don’t want to change or sacrifice to become better to deserve what they want. Find your mission, your cause and pursue it. Are you working just to live or to create the life of your dreams?

2.    Anchors. We don’t let go of the anchors holding us back. The heaviest anchor is the one we drag on ourselves, our past. Cut the chain and let it go. Are people in your life holding you hostage? You can escape by letting them go.

3.    Dream. We stopped dreaming. We created mental blocks to dreaming. It takes courage to dream again. It is scary to dream as adults; that is why it is less painful not to dream. The day we stop dreaming is the day we start dying. Dream again and date your dreams. When we were kids we were dreamers. Then, we grew up and the world, the education system killed our dreams. It is never too late to dream again. Dream big, dream deep, dream wide, and dream long. You got the point, start dreaming again.

4.    Learn and do. We stopped learning what really matters in life. We don’t even apply the little that we know. We stop reading early in life. We don’t even know what is holding us back. We don’t take time to reflect on what is happening to us. We become numb to life and live day by day. Knowing and not doing is not knowing. Knowing how to read and not reading or reading trash is no different than not knowing how to read.

5.    Associations. We choose or fall with the wrong associations. We choose pleasures and entertainment over purpose and service to others. Most people live for weekends, paycheck to paycheck. Listening to the wrong people is a formula for disaster. Do the people you get your advice from have the results that you want in life? If not, why follow their advice or even spend time with them?

6.    Finances. We mismanage our finances. Most people don’t understand the basics of money. They become slaves of money. Money is a tool and it can be a great slave. Good people do good things with their money. Do you know the principles of money? How well do you play the money game? Are you better at the defense or the offense of money?

7.    Help. We don’t ask for help. We don’t help others. It takes humility to ask for help. Our egos come in the way. We live in a very complex world where the interconnectedness is greater than ever before. We must borrow the wisdom of others. We don’t have enough time to learn from our experiences. We must learn from the experiences of others.

Success comes to those that find love in their life, generate enough energy to live the life of their dreams, audaciously inspire others to follow their footsteps, and above all leave proof that a life lived to serve others is the only life worth living.

Be blessed and be a blessing to others.

Carlos Fontana, President of Phalanx

Co-author of the book Follow to Lead (The 7 Principles to Being a Great Follower)

Author of the book PRICELESS (Sixty-Six Simple Stories of Reflection, Love, and Legacy)