Do you know how many women are actually following their dreams today? Not near enough! In fact, 36% of women in a recent study I conducted said they are actually following their dreams. I want to double that number! That’s why I created the Intentional Pause Project. I know that dreams don’t just happen; they require intentional exploration and planning.
And in order to give ourselves the time and space we need to pursue them, we must get out of autopilot, and truly listen to our hearts. I want to dismantle the system that celebrates busyness and reframe the pause as a powerful ritual for deep transformation. We can’t keep denying ourselves the self-care we need and dismissing our desires and expect to create the life we want! Yet, that’s exactly what so many of us have tried to do.
I commissioned a study of nearly 400 accomplished women throughout the US and found that most of us (91%) are unapologetically ambitious, but completely overwhelmed (81% personally and 73% professionally). We set goals, write to-do lists, exhaust ourselves to complete them and have a hard time relinquishing control. We’re constantly on the go, and that puts not only our mental health, but also our desires and dreams at stake.
My research was before the pandemic. 2020 in all of its ambiguity was a year of clarity for many of us – in many ways. However, while we were paused, several of us have not been very intentional. The truth is that many of us are living on autopilot. There are times when living on autopilot might seem like an effective strategy, but too often it prevents us from following our deepest desires.
“Autopilot” is short for “automatic pilot” and means: A device for keeping on a set course without the intervention of the pilot. Do you think your deepest desires would not require your intervention? Sticking to autopilot means choosing to live without intentionally steering yourself where you want to go. And the hard truth is, we’ll never create the life we want by living on autopilot.
Simply defined, “intention” is the opposite: Determination to act in a certain way to bring about a desired result. So, an intentional pause is not just a pause to rest – it’s a pause to strategize. And what you do in the pause is what matters most.
Maybe you want a promotion at work, or to switch careers. Maybe you want to write a novel or start your own business. Maybe COVID has displaced you and you need to figure it out from here. Maybe you want to transform your body, so you feel healthier. Maybe you want to find love…maybe you don’t know and need to figure it out.
Dreaming is vital to a fulfilled life! And why, when we get older, do we stop dreaming boldly? It’s as though once we grow up, we feel like it’s too childish to dream. We get sucked into achieving mode, and our dreams end up taking a backseat. But think about it: Dreams are literally the source of all innovation in the world! They’re what make us excited to wake up in the morning, drive us to do things we never thought possible, and can bring a sense of fulfillment unlike anything we’ve ever experienced.
Your dreams belong to you alone. They are like your personal fingerprints – your unique gifts, your desires and your life purpose, all combined. They’re the things only you can consider and contemplate — not the result of anyone else’s ideas of how to live. They’re not about what you think you should do. They are what you could do. They come from a deeper place and deserve to be amplified. Your dreams are the purest form of your potential.
So, what are you dreaming of? I mean that thing you really want to do…that crazy thing you think you can’t do right now?
I developed a process to help you discover and define your dream goals, develop a proven operational plan (activate) to move toward them, and a solid emotional plan (fortify) to carry you all the way to the life you want. Your best chance of having success is to Actify (activate + fortify) your journey, and that’s exactly what I want to help happen for you.
