Conscious Steps Toward a Dream
(and how JMB Living can help you on the journey).
This article aims to show the main idea behind JMB living, giving you small steps that will help to create a solid foundation for your dreams.
JMB living is a quarterly journal, a planner, a magazine, and a Life-Coach all in one. It was created by Julie Barlow, who focuses on helping people find a smile in simple things. I discovered JMB living while looking for a 2022 Planner. I wanted something that considers the complex being we all are - Something to help me focus on my well-being while pursuing my goals.
You don't need to start big.
All you need is to take the correct steps in the right direction.
How often have you felt overwhelmed? Sometimes, the same plans and dreams that are supposed to bring us hope and purpose leave us exhausted and lost. To climb a mountain, you need more than good boots and clothes. Moreover, you need more than the right equipment. Why would you think it would be different with your dreams?
Simple things such as learning how to walk required us a set of skills to master. We needed to know how to:
Stand upright
keep our shoulders back
Step a foot forward while maintaining the other leg stretched behind.
Besides, before all this even takes place, we had to strengthen our bodies. Similar things should happen when we move toward our dreams. We need to prepare our minds. We must be ready for the challenge and the unforeseen.
Julie created the JMB Living focused on helping you build the foundation you will need step-by-step. You are inspired and encouraged to move in the right direction. You learn to be patient while you develop your inner strength. Following this idea, we will bring some of the main structures presented in the Winter JMB planner.
Creating a System that Works for You
The easiest way to reach a big goal is to break it into small steps. We usually break them into physical steps. In the same way, it is easier to start by taking small steps when it comes to our emotional and/or spiritual needs. We also know it is not always easy to identify the foundations we lack or become the master of our minds. That's why we will use the first steps given by JMB lIVING to help you start.
Each week, Julie brings you a new challenge to focus on. Slowly, you will be able to follow a safe and stable path toward your dreams. It is safer to build a house on the rock than to build a house on the sand. Even though you may construct a beautiful home on unsteady ground, it could be quickly destroyed when the first storm comes.
Remember: Although a tree may not always have flowers during winter, it usually has strong roots to keep it safe in a thunderstorm. It may take time, but the flowers and fruits will come. The tree's beauty will surely sparkle in spring.
Stillness
Nature works in seasons. There is time for everything. Time to rest. Time to speak. Time to sow and time to reap.
Winter may be tiring for some people. However, it is there for a reason. It is a time for stillness, a time to reflect. Take time to reflect on your principles and values. Take time to create space, to burst your creativity before setting goals. In winter, the trees lose their leaves and undergo a process of renewal. Stillness. Winter shows us the importance of listening to our motivations and emotional needs. It shows us the importance of building a secure foundation in our lives.
Listen to yourself before setting goals and dreams. Do not jump to conclusions. Take time. What is it you dream about? Why? How can you prepare your mind to receive it? What do you need to enjoy your dreams properly when they come true?
Roots
Julie explains roots as the foundation of our plans. What are the small concrete steps you need to take to create a solid ground where you will grow your dreams?
Once you already know what you need, how can you structure your life to reach it? Perhaps you need to work on being more organized. Perhaps you need to go to bed earlier or maybe learn a new skill?
It is also possible you find you need to work on emotional needs. What can you do to originate the roots you seek?
Alignment
What do you value the most in life? What are your principles? Are your plans and dreams in harmony with your values?
Find out the truth inside your heart. What matters the most for you? What is the real reason you set that specific goal?
You will be happier if your goals and dreams are focused on what you really desire and aligned with your heart instead of engaged in pride or other people's will.
Balance
Live in Harmony. According to the Oxford dictionary, harmony is:
A state of peaceful existence and agreement.
A pleasing combination of related things. We need to be in harmony with our environment.
A long time ago, two siblings asked their father how to be good Christians. While one child wanted to read the Bible, the other wanted to pray more. The father's answer was simple:
"You need to do both equally. If you want to be a Christian, both things need to be balanced. If you only read the Bible, you may become an annoying punctilious person. On the other hand, if you pray alone, you may become a fanatic. There is time to pray; there is time for the Bible. There is time to wait as there is time to act.”
As you walk towards your dreams, create balance in your life. Find time to nourish yourself while you work. Find time to play with your kids while you also reflect. Think Balance.
We know life may bring moments of instability. However, as the tree's branches bend with the wind, they are firmly rooted to rebalance after the wind is gone.
If you wish to continue doing this exercise, we highly recommend JMB living. Check out the New Spring Journal here!
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This article aims to show the main idea behind JMB living, giving you small steps that will help to create a solid foundation for your dreams.
JMB living is a quarterly journal, a planner, a magazine, and a Life-Coach all in one.