From Daydreamer to Living Life Out Loud

I don’t know about you, but for as long as I can remember, I’ve been a daydreamer. Sometimes I would read a story and my imagination would continue beyond the book’s ending, while other times, a random thought or new insight gained would be the trigger.

I would escape into far-off lands and imagine life in an entirely different scope, from a different person, and it was wonderful… until I had to return to reality.

I found the daydreaming transformed into thoughts of what ifs as I got older and gained responsibilities that meant I needed to be more grounded in real-life. I’d start to look at life’s choices as crossroads and try to imagine the different scenarios that would have been if I chose the other path. More and more as I matured and evolved, I felt further from the dreams I had hoped to achieve.

I started looking in the mirror wondering at the reflection who was staring back. Daydreaming was no longer a time to drift away into possibilities. Instead, it became a place of escape.

It’s interesting that so many kids, teens and yes, even adults are drawn to this state of escape, whether it’s through playing out simulations of real life through avatars and imagined lives or drifting into an endless array of videos on social media where the focus is placed on glimpses of others “realities”, rather than our own.

It is so easy to feel boxed in, that in spite of the vastness of our world, we can feel so restricted in our ability to do more. Maybe in some instances, we really don’t have a choice, be it age, opportunity, or environment…but, oftentimes, we can make a shift, if we’re willing to put in the work.

I can say with complete authenticity, that I eventually took a stance. I decided to lean back into my daydreams of possibilities and decide that some of those thoughts could transform into reality. It didn’t come easy, but the first step was deciding to live my life out loud…not just in my head.

I needed to change the narrative I was saying within and decide that

… I was worth the plans and aspirations I once had.

… my life and each day I’m present matters.

… there’s more to me than my seemed limitations.

… being honest with myself allows opportunities for growth.

… being at my best strengthens my relationship with those who genuinely love me.

… I may surprise myself with who I become.

If you’ve stumbled upon my page, I don’t believe in accidents. I think there is a wonderful journey that awaits you. It might not be as picture-perfect as a simulation, but it will be real and tangible. You can feel it with your whole being, not just in your thoughts. And though it may not go viral as a post on social media, it will be your life that you’re enjoying.

As for me, there are good days as there are some sucky ones, but one thing that I’m certain of is that my choice to make my life one that was worth living has been 100% worth the effort.