Over the past decade I have redesigned not just my career but also my entire life. It all started with a vision and has taken years of work. But hard work is not enough. I want to break down 5 common myths about manifesting your dream life and share 5 truths to set you up for success.

Myth 1 - Once you have visualized your dream, you don't have to put in any work

It is important to gain clarity about what your dream entails. Having a vision is absolutely vital as it not only sets the end goal, but also the direction.

For myself, journalling has always been very important, and I have journaled the vision of my life every single year since 2005. And over the years, the vision has, as it should, changed and evolved. As just one example, for the visualization of my dream home, I wrote a list of 42 specific features and characteristics of the place I believed existed.

But while your vision clarifies your end goal, it is not the end of the work. It is the beginning, the first of many steps.

And while the dream may feel magical, the work itself can feel very ordinary. Once I was absolutely clear on the vision of the dream home, part of the work involved checking the real estate listings every single day. I didn't know then that it would take over a year and a half to find our dream home on an acreage.

Maybe you are hesitating to begin, or perhaps you are waiting for the right time. But there is no better time than now. Whatever your daily constraints, there is something you can do every single day to work towards your dream. You do not have to give up your current life to begin working towards the future life you envision.

Truth no. 1: A vision is the first of many steps to make your dream a reality. Do not wait for the right time. Start now and do something every single day to work towards your dream life.

Myth 2 - Manifesting your dream life is just about positive thinking

Because your end goal is positive, there can be an expectation that the journey, too, will be entirely carefree, with nothing negative to face, no risks, no sleepless nights.

More than a year into the search for our dream home, the pandemic hit. As you may well know, there was a general exodus from city to country life. I began to worry that we would not be able to afford what we wanted.

As I felt fear take hold, I could have suppressed it with an attitude of toxic positivity, but the fear would have expressed itself subconsciously elsewhere. Taking time to look at my fear helped me transform it into courage.

I then took a step back and visualized how it would feel for me to live day-to-day in this home, which included the peace of mind of a place we could afford.

The renewed vision and courage helped fuel the belief that the home we wanted did exist, and I resumed the daily search. A couple of months later, a listing appeared that met all our criteria, including price. And since 2021, our off-grid acreage has been our home.

To remain relentlessly positive means we become brittle and inflexible, unable to adapt when life does not go as expected.

Instead of short-term positive thinking, I encourage you to take on long-term optimism. This will allow you to cultivate resilience and recover from setbacks.

The ability to differentiate between real risks and just imagined fears is also key, as I discuss in my blog article about the Mindset Shifts Needed for Success.

Truth no. 2 - You do not need to be 100% positive 100% of the time. Adopt an attitude of long-term optimism and resilience instead of short-term false positivity.

Myth 3 - You should never compromise to achieve your dreams

I encourage you to dare to dream. Your dream should be all that your soul speaks in truth. Do not compromise the vision itself.

As Khalil Gibran states in his book "The Prophet":

But the process of working on your dreams will take you out of your comfort zone. If the journey to your dreams were as simple as stepping from a mediocre life to a better one, everyone would be living their dream life. You will likely have to face new risks and make difficult decisions.

Living now in my dream home was only possible because I moved from a city apartment to a single room fixer-upper and lived there for years in order to minimize my monthly expenses.

Accept the temporary discomfort; it will pass. During the challenging times, continue to remind yourself of the vision of your end goal. Be prepared to compromise your level of comfort and lifestyle, but do not ever compromise your values.

Truth no. 3 - Be prepared to compromise your comfort but not your values in order to realize your goals and dreams.

Myth 4 - Manifesting your dreams will bring you instant success and happiness

We live in a society that encourages us to identify with the things we own rather than the essence of who we are. We are bombarded with images of effortless wealth and success on social media.

Money is important. But, having spent time around those with far more financial wealth than myself, I can tell you that no amount of money will fill the gap in a mindset of lack. And no amount of fame will compensate for a lack of genuine self-worth.

An internal mindset cannot be changed by external circumstances alone. As the alchemist states in my Manifest Dream Life Meditation:

Be careful what you wish for. If your dream only involves fame or wealth, then this is not a dream but rather a desire driven by the ego.

And if money is your only motivation, you may well give up. I lost all my savings over the first 3 years of my new career. The truth is the path to your dreams may involve a few steps back before you move forward.

As part of your vision of success, consider what would be truly fulfilling for you, how you could best use your skills and talents to do work that is meaningful and rewarding. Let your soul, rather than ego, guide you.

Truth no. 4: A true vision of success is the pursuit of fulfillment, not fame or fortune. Let your soul, not your ego, guide you to the truth.

Myth 5 - Manifesting a dream life is a destination

My partner and I now live on our dream acreage in the Pacific Northwest in rural BC, Canada. We have the peace, quiet and privacy we had always dreamed was possible, all for a price that we can afford. I love our life here. And it may seem that we have arrived at our final destination, that there is nothing more to do. But the journey does not end here.

The next phase of life here means learning new skills and facing new challenges. And now that we have achieved this milestone, it is also an exciting time to visualize the next phase of our lives together.

I am proud of the life changes I've made. I am passionate about the work I do every day. But with the autonomy of living off the grid and being my own boss also comes more responsibility.

The process of manifesting your dreams is neither instant nor always rewarding. Has it been worth the work, the sacrifice, the doubts and compromise? For me, absolutely. But only you can make that decision for your own life.

Truth no. 5 - Manifesting your dreams is not a destination but rather a journey that lasts a lifetime.

Final Thoughts

My biggest criticism of the popular theories around the Law of Attraction work is that it encourages a focus on self above all else.

My own philosophy is that any one person's success should also help clear the path for others to realize their goals and dreams. As I often say in my work: we rise together.

So, if you are hesitating, I encourage you to start now. Imagine who could benefit from you realizing your goals and dreams.

Whatever your limitations, you can do something every single day to work towards your dreams. It may not feel that you are progressing as much as you would hope, but just as every insignificant drop of water nourishes a sapling which will become a magnificent tree, every small task is another step towards your dream life. And even though the everyday tasks may feel mediocre at times, your dreams are not.

If you need some inspiration, listen to my Manifest Dream Life Meditation. Because everything is created twice, first in the mind and then in reality.

Manifest Dream Life Meditation

Thank You for Reading

My name is Sarah from Unlock Your Life, and I quit a 17-year corporate career to create a career that I love. I have worked as a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist for almost a decade now, and over the last 14 years I have redesigned my entire life. I now make a living by giving away more than 95% of my work at no cost. You can read more about my background and journey here.

You can access my hypnosis, meditations and affirmations sessions on my YouTube channel here and connect with me on Facebook and Instagram.

If you have benefitted from my work, please donate to support me here on Paypal or through Donorbox.

And, as always, I am here to support you on your journey.