Want to make space to dream in the New Year?
Let go of the time-sucking vampires and focus on how you want to feel
We make resolutions to wrest control from life. These grand pronouncements — no more sugar from here on out—signal our dreams, whether that’s for overall health, spiritual ambitions, or professional goals.
Then life happens with its myriad time-suck temptations. And the worst seducers give you the gratification of crossing an item off the to-do list — I can work on my novel later, there’s a sale at the car wash. You’re being productive, but it’s a lie.
Over time, this created an enormous gap between my long-term goals— write that novel—and how I spend my time, chasing to-do list zero. Other than the vague dissatisfaction of not realizing my dreams, I was blissfully unaware that my actions were detracting from my dreams. Worst of all, no one was going to point out the disparity. No one’s going to discourage you from vacuuming, and some will actively vampire your time and energy. This dilemma had to be self-diagnosed, and what began as freewriting in my journal is now a workbook.
How this came about
On New Year’s Day 2016, my friend Emily and I were huddled together on a Florida beach, pens and journals in hand. By this time, I’d spent years…
