YOU KNOW I LOVE WORDS
ASPIRE direct one’s hopes or ambitions towards achieving something. Rise high.
ESPRIT the quality of being lively, vivacious, or witty. It’s a French word that’s been used in English since the 16th century, literally meaning “spirit,” “soul,” or “mind,” from the Latin root spiritus, “spirit.” “Esprit.”
esprit de corps
noun
es·prit de corps i-ˌsprē-də-ˈkȯr
: the common spirit existing in the members of a group and inspiring enthusiasm, devotion, and strong regard for the honor of the group
For some reason I am thinking about my brother I just lost almost 4 months ago. We grew up in the 80’s and I will forever have sweet memories of looking at ads of Esprit, United Colors of Benetton, Swatch—all the BRIGHT colors, the fun styles, the happy faces of the people in the ads. For some reason, I had a collection of Esprit ads that were huge images of random people & little bios (like the ad above) of who they were. I LOVED seeing the faces of people and then learning about them, their dreams, who they are, what they want. As a teen, it was so fun to see others aspirations.
ASPIRATIONS
ASPIRATIONS are ongoing. I don’t care how old you become, there are still dreams you hold. Dreams take hold of you with a simple idea and hope the wings of the idea will some day take flight. I love that visual. The dreams within us are always seeking to fly free. They swirl within, they seek your energy and momentum to move them, they dig deeper for your desire and then they help you take off and soar a little higher. Dreams lift you. They help you rise. They are the aspirations of your life.
I look at my neighbor who is 69 and she has someone working on art for a children’s book she has written, she still talks about a play she would like to write. She just called me up to share another story idea that came to her from a visual near the ocean.
I am constantly thinking and dreaming of how to help people with courses I could create, to start a non-profit that just buys acres of trees to save them, to finish a course in Positive Psychology, to write books, create art, help single moms…my lists could go on and on. smile. smile.
I have another neighbor who is in her mid 70’s and she and her husband decided to move to Portugal on a whim. They took a trip there to see if they liked it, sold everything in their home, have been taking Portuguese lessons, had all the lengthy documentation done and are moving there next month!
Every person is different. Every aspiration is different. My husbands dreams may be a bit different than mine. He misses living in our landlocked home state of Utah. I have enjoyed living on the Oregon coast. Yesterday, we were talking to a stranger at a roadside pullout & he was explaining how he had a few business locations & his dream is finally to be here on the coast. I looked at my husband and said, “See how blessed we are. We are already living some people’s dreams.”
Everyone has a variety of dreams that are all their own–whether its having a child, working their dream job, becoming a race car driver, a published author, running a candy shop, speaking at a Ted conference, becoming a chef, building a dream house or living in a specific place. Every aspiration is different for every individual.
So, how can we reach a little higher? How can we take a tiny step toward the sky? I would say, Follow what lights up your “esprit” [soul, spirit]. Evaluate and ask yourself, What brightens or lights you up? What can you include in your daily routine that fills you up with energy? What gets you excited? What ideas keep coming back or wanting your attention?
Are there things you can do to move toward your dream? Think of it like planning a vacation. Where do you want to go? [destination or goal], How can you get there? [variety of options or opportunities to get you from point A to point B], What do you want to do? [action plans or smaller steps to overall idea], create a map of ideas and brainstorm and then go…begin…fly.
Get it on paper. Dreams need a destination, a place to land. If you don’t put your dreams and aspirations on paper with guidelines, direction, goals, dates and determinations, then the dreams will just float along. They need you to grab them, use their wings to propel them to their proper destination.
Give it some brain power—your thoughts definitely have power, so make sure you have a visual plan (vision board of ideas), create a daily mantra to help propel your vision, and always remember how capable and brilliant you are. DONT limit yourself by questioning if you have what it takes to follow and fly to your higher aspirations.
Give aspirations your time–before your life passes you by and your calendar is full. Set a time for your dreams and aspirations. Block some time into your day (like you would exercise) to plan, to create, to work details, to help lift the dream a little higher. Give yourself the time you need to make it fly.
I know for me, when I was interested and creating children’s books I took a class from a published author, went to a local book seminar, met with literary agents, sent my book out…When I was working and dreaming about a musical screenplay, I found a way to contact the woman who wrote the movie Mama Mia to have her share thoughts and lessons learned. [even if the dreams don’t get published, you still have to chase it & do your best with no regrets] there are always avenues to research, people to connect with, actions to take, mentors to make. Dreams and aspirations need you to help them find the way into the world.
What can you learn that will help your aspiration grow? Is there a skill you could learn that would help your confidence in pursuing something? Is there a mentor or class you could take to help you learn more about chasing a particular dream.
Just begin. If you have an internal argument about waiting to start because of timing, bills, kids, etc. you will always find some type of excuse that will stop you from beginning. Think about one small step and begin there. The momentum of any idea needs to have the space and energy to grow into something greater.
Best, heartfelt wishes for your dreams and aspirations.
May you find your wings that will take you higher and higher.
xoxo -H
Always DREAM: Joy: What happened to us? What happened to all the things that we used to dream about for our lives? I just feel like it’s getting further and further away. You can see and feel Joy wondering what happened to the little girl who always would create and tell beautiful stories. She was worried that she was loosing that part of herself. I think we all have moments like this, where we wonder what happened to our dreams, how we lost track of time and how we were going to get back on the path to following our dreams. They are just baby steps away. You can take one little step each day to learn something new, to talk to someone who is living your dream, to begin preparing to leave your job, to take small steps in the directions of your dreams. [Old or New dreams]. Just begin.
Just Do It! Create: Joy: In America everyday people make of what they will of themselves. I’m going to do something. This makes me want to share tiny stories about big companies that started small. Melissa & Doug toys began with one toy 25 years ago & they sold it out of their station wagon. Nike also began out of the trunk of Phil Knight’s Plymouth Valiant. Amazon, Apple, Google, Microsoft, Disney, Mattel–all began in garages. We are all creators. It is just a matter of finding what inspires, motivates and lights you up.
Don’t let the Naysayers in: Mimi: [to Joy] You don’t exactly have your whole life ahead of you, but you still have a good portion of it. Peggy: Joy has never run a business. Rudy: It’s a big mistake. It’s my fault. I gave her the confidence to think she was more than an unemployed housewife. Peggy: It’s a fantasy! Joy had to push beyond her limiting family and the beliefs they had. Joy was determined to rise above. We each have people like that in our own lives. People who may belittle our dreams, who may naysay our ideas. Rise above it and begin to believe in the possibilities. Remember: there is a positive and negative energy in everything. Do not surround yourself with those that are heavy, who can’t see the vision, who do not lift you and your ideas up. They will weigh you down in the end.
Believe in Yourself! If you don’t, who will? Joy: I have real ambitions and real ideas. Tony: What if they don’t see you? Joy: They’re gonna see me no matter what. Joy had quite a few obstacles that she had to handle and in the end it was her pure determination that got her through. Each one of us will have walls that we hit within our lives and we have to figure out how to hurdle over them. Whether they are personal insecurities, having to learn something new for a job, changing jobs, creating a space to pursue a dream or just pushing forward when life gets tough. If you don’t believe you can–find a way. If you can find pure will, there will be a way. Believe.
Trust those people who have your back: In the end, Joy was betrayed by many she loved, but she also learned who would always have her back. We have people who come and go within our lives, but hold tight to those who will be loyal no matter what. They are the true gems that will be worth the most in your life.
Be yourself! Even if it scares you. [backstage at QVC Joy is dolled up and given a poofy black early ‘90s style dress]
The Real JOY
yourhappyplaceblog 