I sat on my bed looking at the last page of a journal I’ve yet to use. Almost three years ago, a dear friend of mine wrote an encouraging note starting with the phrase “Go. Do. Be.”
I remember walking into 2015 with this phrase at the forefront of my mind. Years later, this phrase resonated again, but from a different angle.
Living on purpose is choosing to be intentional with our world. I believe when we begin to live on purpose practically, it influences our world creatively. It also influences our dreams.
Go. Do. Be. When you look at this phrase you obviously start with go. But what if we read it from right to the left?
Be. Do. Go.
Before we can go into anything, go anywhere, or do anything, we first must be.
It’s on the foundation of being that we can build the doing and going. Being is our resting state. It’s the showing up in the mundane strides of life. It’s the existing, the essence of living.
If we really want to go and do something, we must first be ready. We need to know rest and the power of taking care of ourselves. We must learn our boundaries and standards; what we bend for and what we stand for. We must be comfortable in this place of everyday life, embracing the highs and lows, and understanding the power of steadiness and consistency.
I believe how we walk our lives in the mundane everyday impacts how we do and go for the bigger things. If in this space where nothing is really happening, we are complaining a lot, comparing a lot, and compromising a lot (the unhealthy way), we’re building a shaky foundation.
That shaky foundation affects how we go and do. When doing gets tedious, as it often will, or going gets risky, as it often does, we won’t be able to endure.
On the other hand, if we are actively finding the gold where we are, consciously choosing gratefulness over focusing on what we lack, investing wisely, and learning to celebrate others where we are, we are building a firm foundation for the inevitable highs and lows that come with doing. When challenges of going arise, we are firm. We are steady.
Be. Do. Go.
Our dreams are big. They are wild. They sometimes seem impossible. There is an eagerness to unpack them, to build them, to make them our reality.
Something I love about dreams is the excitement and passion they conjure up. The inspiration that swirls and dances around the imagination. The thrill and hunger is unmatched. I believe this aspect of dreaming and pursuing dreams is beautiful. It’s also the easy part, the exciting and riveting part.
The part that is often forgotten, the part that is often glazed over, is the process after the excitement: the doing and the going. Dream pursuit is built on fierce passion and wild inspiration. It is also built on perseverance and consistency. How we manage ourselves in the exciting part of the process influences how we manage ourselves in the challenging parts. How we manage ourselves when not a single dream is coming true or the desire to dream is low, impacts how we manage ourselves when dreams are happening and new dreams are forming.
The way to live on purpose with your dreams is to honor where you are right now. Celebrate the seemingly mundane spaces of life. Humble yourself to the rhythm of routine without letting the fire go out. A dream cannot be built or pursued on emotions. Emotions are fickle. It must be built on grit, on truth. It must be pursued from a place that doesn’t just long for the hype, but endures and even relishes the unattractive process.
Be. Do. Go.
Whether you are just beginning to let yourself dream again or you are smack dab in the middle of your dream pursuit, remember to be. Give yourself room to breathe and grow where you are. Give yourself room to let your character and work ethic be honed and sharpened in the normal rhythms of life.
Remember to do. Get proactive with your dreams. Research. Study. Read. Try new things. Don’t just wait for the perfect opportunity, create it.
Remember to go. Take risks. Step out of your comfort zone. Explore the world around you. Unpack the people around you.
This article was originally published on This Wondrous Life.
Danae Smith is the founder of This Wondrous Life, a lifestyle blog rooted in pursuing a life lived simply, slowly, and with community. She believes there is more to the mundane than meets the eye. You can also find her on Instagram.
