16. Slay the Dream-killer to Get Unstuck!

How many dreams is the dream-killer going to harpoon before you and I say enough!!

Hi, I'm Lisa Barry, a radio DJ who's been in pursuit of a fabulous life for 20 years and I'm here to help you get unstuck from an average life and give you the tools and secrets to create a fabulous one.

There are some people who have built in drive. If they see something they want, they go for it. They traverse rough terrain and nothing seems to stop them. Then there's everybody else. Maybe people like you and me who have dreams but then allow doubts and setbacks to have their way with us. We stop. Backup. And put our dreams on hold, hoping the doubt will leave and the setbacks will reverse. They rarely do. Our dreams just collect dust and atrophy.

Here's how the scenario usually goes. You get inspired about how you want your life to be. You begin to chart a course and brainstorm. But then, thoughts come in your head that seem to be the voice of reason. Maybe something you need is a lot more expensive than you thought, maybe you need more schooling than you figured. Or possibly you shared your idea with someone and they dismissed it, or worse yet, you and your ability to pull it off.

That's when the "what-ifs" sneak in.

1. What if bad things happen that are out of my control?

2. What if I miscalculate and the money runs out?

3. What if I lose my job?

4. What if I create my fabulous life and then hate it?

5. What if I don't have what it takes to pull off my dream?

Let's tell the truth. Yes. All those things 'could' happen. But you know what else? All those terrible things 'could' still happen even if you NEVER pursue your fabulous life. Isn't it funny how we assume that staying where we are will always be safe? It isn't. And taking calculated risks aren't an automatic recipe for disaster. Not only that, but why is it we only say "what if" followed by negative things? Why can't a "what if" be followed by something good? Like, what if this turns out to be the best decision I ever made? Or what if I become even more successful than I imagined I could?

Fact: It's all unknown.

You and I can either create the life we want with all of it's passion, and beauty and meaning and coexist in that brain-space with some unknowns or we can live-out our days try to protect a life we're lukewarm about.

Your exercise for today is to come up with a list of all the things that "could" go wrong. Why? Because those thoughts will keep resurfacing anyway so better to be proactive and aware and slay those dream killers as we go. Keep in mind, I'm not suggesting you march blindly into an unrealistic quixotic quest, merely that you don't get sidetracked from your dream by little foxes that spoil the vine. So take 20 minutes or so and make a list of your "what ifs" I have a printable you can download for that (click here). Include one "what if" per line and only on the left side. We're going to fill in the right side later.

Now that your list is finished, let’s just go over some of those what-if’s in that left column. What if bad things do happen? Now use the right column to create a possible solution as best you can. If you lose a job, you look for a new one. If you pursue a fabulous life and it turns out you didn't want that after all, you'll adjust or choose a different one. Rarely is the purusit of a dream all for naught. But the things you learned on the way, got you ready for the upcoming right turn.

We have to be realistic. Bad things do and will happen. There's no way around that. But wouldn't you rather face life's challenges living a life that makes you excited to get out of bed in the morning? A fabulous life finds solutions to problems, leverages disappointments into life lessons and keeps growing. An important step in a fabulous life is telling "what if" to get out of the driver's seat and send it to the back seat, or better yet, the trunk. This is going to be epic!