What do I want to achieve before I die?

As we all know, time flies. The daily grind, the obligations, the opinions of others gradually forge a straitjacket that too often takes us away from our dreams. When we look at the obituaries on the Echovita website, we may ask ourselves questions such as: if I died tomorrow, would I feel that I had fulfilled my dreams or that I had accumulated regrets? This is an issue that touches us all and is of great importance.

Revisiting your childhood dreams

In childhood or adolescence, almost all of us have experienced moments when we said to ourselves: "One day, I will become... a professional player, musician, firefighter, doctor, police officer, writer, star, model.... Or, "one day, I will travel and visit faraway countries", or maybe: "One day, I will become very rich", "I will leave my mark", "I will make an extraordinary discovery"... Since then, reality has caught up with us. We have learned to be delighted with what we have, at least on the surface. Deep down remain the traces of our dreams and the regrets of not holding on to them.

What would they be today?

What if there were no obstacles? Make a list of things that make you happy

A very interesting exercise is to ask ourselves what we would do if there were no obstacles. Start by asking: "What would our ideal days, weeks and year be?" Writing down everything that goes through our minds, without censoring ourselves, can give us a fairly accurate picture of what we might perhaps begin to bless or change in our habits and ways of thinking. This can make us reconsider our way of life, our priorities, our work or our attitude towards everyday life.

Strangely enough, there are many happy people who are not aware of this. Small worries mask great happiness. There is a very powerful expression in English, which is: "count your blessings". Learning about gratitude can change the course of our lives by changing the perspective we have on it.

Yet if our ordinary life is far removed from our ideal experience, it’s never too late to react. Making a list of 5 small changes that could, right now, lead us to live a little bit more like our ideal days or years and, above all, committing to putting them into action, can give us a sense of accomplishment and of pride. Getting back into working out, taking the time to do a little research to change our professional path or register for an online course, starting an activity that brings us closer to our dreams of adventure and doing a few hours of volunteer work are all ways to rediscover the energy of the past. These gestures can also put us in touch with people capable of opening doors that we would never have had the courage to open before.

Choosing our thoughts

We all form an average of 60,000 thoughts a day. Achieving what is important to us depends very much on the choice we make among these ideas that come to mind. It’s a bit like choosing to wear glasses: dark glasses make us see the bad side of things and linger on it while pink glasses can prevent us from being in contact with our reality. Clear, well-fitting lenses allow us to perceive the world with confidence, as we can better distinguish its shapes and are able to perceive the options available to us. It’s more than just a nice speech, it’s simply true. Listen and look around you. Successful people are generally very aware of their conditions as well as the pitfalls and opportunities that are out there for them. Above all, they don’t waste their time feeling sorry for themselves. They are in action and have a goal in mind. Whatever it is, this goal, this "why" drives them.

If this sounds interesting, go and listen to this video by Simon Sinek: WHY? and start by finding your "why".

Why are you on earth?

Focusing on what’s really important

Finding one’s "why" means rediscovering one’s own values. We are all driven by what draws our attention to false needs and superficial desires that are not really ours. To refocus, there’s nothing like sitting down and asking, "what’s really important to me?" It’s easy to find a list of values online that can inspire us

Once identified, choosing to put these values forward in our daily lives gives us an energy and satisfaction that brings us closer to our dreams and a happier life. It’s by focusing on fundamental values that ordinary people are now recognized as extraordinary people. Think of Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Robin S. Charma, and many others. These people were not special in the first place. They stood out for their deep commitment to their values. Why is that? Simple: our values create a profound reaction in us, and even more so when they become conscious and present in our minds. They determine our choices, they are the basis of our identity. To find them is to find yourself and to be carried by a great impulse that can sweep away many obstacles.

Giving yourself permission to dream

Everything that has been built and realized by Man began with a dream. Everything. Those who built theirs will tell you, more often than not, that despite the obstacles, once that dream became very clear, the means to make it real presented themselves. Spontaneously. And often, just when they were ready to give up everything. Which one still seems important to you today, for yourself and for those around you? Many of our childhood dreams have lost their luster over time. Usually, there are one or two that still deserve our permission to think about them, make plans, and dive into action.

All so that when they write our obituary notice, our entourage can say: our loved one made a positive difference by changing their life as well as ours. Thank you for sharing your dream with us. It will feed us for years to come.