If I close my eyes, it’s easy to imagine what my dream holiday looks like. Close them again, and it’s even easier to visualise my dream house and car. But, closing them again, I find it much harder to imagine my dream life. Why is this?

I’m sure you too are bombarded by adverts that suggest your life would be improved by the big house, the shiny new car, or the glossy beach holiday. Maybe these ad men are right? Maybe these things will make us feel better. Maybe “more things”, or “bigger things” or “better things” are the answer to a better life?

But I think this is a dangerous trap. I have written before about seeking happiness rather than joy and today I would like to explore the importance of understanding your dream life. So, what does your amazing life look like? How would it feel to live in it every day?

When you can see the answers to the question of what’s an amazing life, you set yourself on a path to making it a reality. It’s important you visualise the kind of person you will become rather than the possessions you will have.

I think the reason it is hard for us to visualise an answer that doesn’t include material things is that we watch and consume so many adverts. Ultimately those adverts are trying to sell us stuff. So, our dreams end up reflecting all the things they are promoting. As Oprah has said,

“What we dwell on, is who we become!”

Somewhere deep inside, you know the kind of person you would like to be. Think about what makes you come alive. What gives you goosebumps? What brings you joy? It’s in these areas that you will uncover what your amazing life is.

Don’t waste your dreams on an endless quest for bigger and better things. There lies the path to unhappiness. Instead, paint a picture of the person you would like to become. You will be free to experience the life you have always dreamed of. You don’t need all that new stuff. It won’t help you, in the long run, become the person you have always wanted to be.

Your journey towards an amazing life starts within; you already have everything you need. Just give it the space to come out. Close your eyes and visualise your amazing life and then today, tomorrow and every future day walk a path towards it. Long before others believe, you must believe it’s possible. Remember, we climb the mountain, not in giant leaps but one small step at a time.