Live it!

Henry Thoreau famously penned the words “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams!  Live the life you imagined,” at the end of his 1854 book entitled Walden.

That quote has been around quite a while, and it's been up on the wall in my study for almost as long!  Today, I asked myself what it meant to me.  And am I living the life I imagined? 

What about you?  Let’s look a bit closer.

Go confidently...

Do you know where you’re going?  When we’re lost or aimless, with no sense of where we are headed, there is no confidence in our steps, there is no motivation or purpose in our walk.  But when we set out of the door in the morning with a goal in mind – even if it is just to the shop for milk – we stride much more purposefully, knowing where we are going, and we are confident that we will reach that place. Yes?

So, it's important to know where we’re going in life if we want to get somewhere specific.  We might not know the exact location, and we might not know exactly what time we will get there or how long the journey is going to take.  But if you have that confidence, that determination running through you as you set off, you won’t give up at the first wrong turning.

...in the direction of your dreams.

Do you have even a vague idea of what you want out of life?  It's never too late.  If you feel you’ve gone off track in life and your dreams are far off and you feel derailed and like you will never be able to live it, then ask yourself what it is that you wanted from that life. Set a small goal and Go Confidently in the Direction of that.  You don’t have to set off for a complete voyage today.  You just have to get up, get those shoes on, and start.

Live the life you imagined!

It's true that we do get what we expect out of life.  So, what are you imagining for today?  A bad day in the office, a row with your partner, a day alone, feeling miserable?  Well, then I’m sorry to say that’s likely what you’re going to get!

How about changing the record?  Look for the good in the day, and it will reward you.  I promise!  It's all about perspective.  You may or may not be living the life you wanted right now.  But, if not, are there any parts of it you’re grateful for?  From the small ‘I saw a daffodil bulb poking through the soil’ to ‘I got a promotion’, remember to focus on the good in your life. And then the good will grow. Try it, it's magic! 

And if you’re not living the life you want right now, then this is your call to change it; only you can do it.  You can live the life you imagined.  And the life you imagined can be the best you ever wished for. 

But you start here.  You’ve already laid a path for yourself, one way or another.  So, I challenge you today to the following stepping stones to success.

1.      Remind yourself what your dreams are

2.      Go confidently

3.      In the direction of those dreams

4.      Live the life you imagined!

Happy living!

Suzanne Henderson 2025