April 2023

April 2023 Topic: Tell us your “BIG DREAM” story in present tense.

By Sharon Loduca, Real Estate Professional in Ontario, Canada

Tell us your big dream in the present tense… to show up fresher, sharper, and more present every day. I’m really not playing with the blog title. 🙂 Let me explain.

There is a lot to show up for every day – every single day. Life doesn’t really have an off switch. Well, it does, but by then we’ve already done what we are gonna do. I am keenly aware of the days (years) of fog, of just not being with it, the days of constantly feeling overwhelmed. When struggles with mental and emotional health challenges robbed many days of their quality. There were a number of very dark seasons in my life, devoid of purpose or reason.

To come to a decision that better days were yet to be written, when simply getting out of bed was a struggle, at one time was unthinkable. It seemed a nearly undoable feat to show up better every day: present, sharp, alert, and be my best for THAT day. In fact, I could write a few books in this area alone. I am really skimming over it all here because that’s not the topic at hand. But I became consumed with learning how to improve on showing up for life every day.

The struggles are real. The setbacks are real. We can stay wrapped up in a dark cloud for so long that the dark gloom becomes our normal. But my ‘dream’ really is to show up fresher and sharper. and a tad wittier ’cause life is already too serious, after all. My ‘dream’ is to do that so well that it becomes contagious, infecting everyone around me to challenge themselves, whatever that looks like for them. By reflection, my kids would consider it normal, to not only take hold of life’s obstacles, but to put them under their feet, and utilize them as a step to rise even higher.

You see, I know that if I just show up every day, in that mindset, good things will happen, and I will grow, my confidence will grow, and my knowledge and experience will grow. If I can show up at my best, I will eventually get better at handling the setbacks. I will spend less time wrapped in dark clouds. I will spend more time learning and growing. I will spend more time resting. I will become a better communicator, a better writer. I will become more compassionate, more aware.

I’m kinda stuck right now with this article. I’m having difficulty in short form conveying the depth of the darkness, which in turn affects conveying the importance of this to me. I am not talking about being a better performer, or a better conformer. I am not even talking about never having dark or challenging circumstances. Life is full of obstacles, challenges, loops. And the dream of being a better me… it is not egotistical or arrogant. It’s just that there were way too many days I couldn’t show up for me, hence, anyone else in my life. It was a result of many tiny steps that I had to repeat over and over again until they became a habit in my life. When I least felt like it, I had to learn to show up.

Yes, as a result of one tiny step at a time, many times over, I’ve gone on to build a life of structure and discipline; to build a life of becoming better at being available. Yes, I have a great business, frickin-amazing kids, the ability to conquer learning, the ability to better enjoy life. I guess I can say that there has already been quite a transformation, and I am pleased with the growth. Yet, after thinking about the ‘big dream’ … I know that I know, when I show up expecting more, usually more happens. Maybe not the way I was expecting, but even on the worst day, just showing up is a win, a big win. There is nothing quite like ‘being present’ to enjoy the good things in life that are already here and that are yet to come.

“Showing up is essential. Showing up consistently is powerful. Showing up consistently with a positive outlook is even more powerful.” ~ Jeff Olson

“The biggest gift you can give is to be absolutely present, and when you’re worrying about whether you’re hopeful, or hopeless, or pessimistic, or optimistic, who cares? The main thing is that you’re showing up, that you’re here and that you’re finding ever more capacity to love.” ~ Joanna Macy