Dream big, live wildly (a live wildly manifesto)
“Instructions for living a life. Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it”. – MARY OLIVER
Work out what’s important to you.
Prioritise it. Schedule time for this before other things. Every day, imagine what it will be like to achieve your biggest goals. Dream big. Visualise everything coming true. That’s the first step to making it happen.
Know that your possessions aren’t going to make you happy. Nor are they going to cultivate the image of who you want to be. You do that with how you act.
Buy fewer things and have more to spend on trips to the mountains, picnics by the lake, and good food and wine with friends. Let your savings bring you peace of mind and options.
Dream up what your ideal day looks like. Think about the small upgrades you can make to get closer to this and live more of it every day. Make your life a canvas. Be grateful for everything you already have and take time to enjoy the journey, slowly, as you follow your wild dreams. Everything is happening at exactly the right pace.
If you need less money to live, you can redefine what a “suitable job” is. You can prioritise the time it gives you for what’s important rather than the status. But you can also earn a lot of money with ease and grace and use it to help create the change you want to see in the world. You can live a life of abundance.
But in any case, be time rich. It’s the most valuable currency you can have.
Watch the new life blooming in spring and enjoy the hot summer days.
Spend a whole autumn afternoon sitting in the comfy area of a coffee shop with a book, your notebook and pen, and a pot of tea.
Leave work early in winter and walk your dog by the lake before the sun sets, the snow crunching under your feet. Make time for playfulness.
Spend time with your family if you can. It’s ok if they’re your closest friends. It’s ok if they’re not too.
Have a slow breakfast and enjoy several rounds of pancakes. Laugh and enjoy the moment without thinking you need to be somewhere else.
Sit and do nothing, watching the world go by without thinking about productivity.
Breathe deeply.
Marvel at how you own a healthy body; nourish it. Let it take you on wild adventures. Wear sunscreen, but embrace the wrinkles as they mark all the pages in your journey so far.
Listen to the good and bad sensations in your body. They tell a story worth listening to.
Stop worrying about what others think of you. What do you think of you?
Don’t weigh yourself down with what doesn’t matter. Live lightly. Define what freedom means to you, seek that.
Pay attention to nature. Be kind to the planet and live in harmony with it.
Spend time in the woods. Look at the moss and the leaves and how they change where the light hits and the wind blows.
Listen to the birds and collect the colours of nature in your mind.
Use the night sky to find your bearings.
Watch Orion rise. Look for the sparkly cluster of the Pleiades. Keep track of the moon over the course of a month. Look out your window every evening to look for it.
Share your joy with the world. Smile your own smile.
Love deeply, starting with yourself. The voice in your head is the one you hear most, so make sure it’s kind and nurturing.
Find your way to add value to the world. This can be in your own, very individual way. It may be creating the beauty you want to exist in the world. You might help others. You might start a business and make it your own utopia. Listen out for what’s calling you and try to answer that call.
Follow a philosophy of kindness and let it spread like wildfire every time you practice it.
Let others complement you rather than complete you. Don’t be afraid of outgrowing people and saying goodbye or drifting away from some, but welcome new friends into your life. Keep an open heart, but don’t let others walk on it.
At every stage of the journey, enjoy your own companionship and get to know new details about yourself. Value the silence, it’s often where you find your answers to the big questions.
Slow down and simplify. Try not to get too far from what’s really important.
