Living Your Green Dream

Believe in yourself and there will come a day when others will have no choice but to believe with you. -Cynthia Kersey

Do you remember as a child when there was no such thing as obstacles? I remember always asking my parents “why not?”. It was inconceivable to imagine that I could not Do or Be anything I wanted. Do you remember that feeling as a child? The sense you had that all things were possible? Take five minutes and have some fun with me because today we are going to do some dreaming!

In the last couple of years I have really come to appreciate the dreaming side of myself. Wherever possible I make special time for the art of dreaming. I remember when I nearly gave up on my dreams because they seemed so impractical. The demands of life, our current circumstances and obstacles seemed to indicate that my dreams would remain as only dreams, not reality. I had lost that feeling I had as a child of the awe and wonder of a world of possibilities. Thankfully, I recently rekindled the art of dreaming again.

My husband and I learned about the “art of dreaming” at a conference we attended. One woman challenged us to create a list on the spot of 25 things we would love to Be, Do or Have in our lifetime. It was a tough task to come up with even 10 things! She then went on to list at least fifty “crazy” things she wants to do in her lifetime. I was instantly inspired by her list and began jotting down many of her lifetime goals. Her ideas at the time were beyond the scope of my imagination. I had created limitations around what I thought was possible and so many of her ideas were completely foreign to me.

Listening to that amazing woman speak at the conference was what it took for me to rekindle my dormant imagination. We now keep our dreams alive with the help of a “dream board” that we have posted in our office. (If you are not already familiar, the basic idea behind a dream board is that it is a visual representation of the lifestyle you want to achieve.)

A few days ago I noticed that our dream board is slowly turning into a “green board!” We have pictures of a modern eco home, beautiful landscape shots, healthy living pictures, meaningful words, and some fun eco vacations we would love to take. We have some specific ideas for bringing more awareness to sustainability issues and our dream board also reflects these goals.

Looking at my “greening” dream board, I remembered the conference and the impact that sharing dreams and ideas had on my life. I began to think about all of us who are greening their lives one day at a time. What would you put up on your “green” dream board. What really puts the wind in your sails when you imagine a life without limits? Really! If ALL obstacles were removed and you could achieve your ideal green dream, what would it be?

Would you opt for a “off the grid” eco home? How about a simple & self sufficient homestead in the country? Does owning shared property in an eco village in Costa Rica make you smile? How about your ideal eco adventure vacation? Perhaps you prefer to be of service to others? Do you dream of heading up a foundation, or perhaps creating a lasting program in your neighborhood? Do you see yourself rallying to help create changes in legislation? Maybe you are already living your green dream?

Greening our lives is a day by day process for sure. We are all different shades of green. Some are veterans of green living and others are green newbies. Wherever you are in the green journey, taking time to share your dreams and goals with others can be a powerful way to inspire each other. Another important factor in sharing ideas and dreams is that if you don’t know something is possible, especially in the terms of green living, how can you dream it? This is where ideas can really stimulate creativity and imagination in green living.

In the art of dreaming, I have learned that the images we hold most in our minds become our reality. In the art of green living, I have learned that we learn most from each other.

So how about it. If you were living your green dream, what would it be? What would you put up on your “green” dream board?

Original 5 Minutes For Going Green post.

You can read more from Monica at her blog Healthy Green Moms where she writes about simple tips for healthy & inspired living. Subscribe to her blog here.