The New American Dream? Giving It All Up

I’m writing from Cuzco, Peru. It’s my second day here and what I’m awed by the most so far is not the Peruvian culture or even the ancient history.

I’m awed by the number of people I’m meeting here who have given up the “American Dream” to discover their own dreams.

They’ve “given it all up” for something so much greater. Their own freedom.

Like Larissa, the art teacher, who has been resistant to change most of her life, but knew there was something more. So she sold most of her belongings, put the rest in the storage and now she’s here on her way to who knows where.

She’s discovering what’s real and true for her.

Maybe this is the new American dream – freedom, adventure, finding ourselves. The Eat, Pray, Love life you may call it.

Regardless of what you call it, my wish for you is that you find a way to live it.

Move beyond all the reasons you can’t live your dreams and find the way to make it your reality.

Maybe it doesn’t mean selling everything and traveling around the world. Perhaps for you, it means giving up the soul-draining J.O.B. and starting the business you’ve always dreamed about. Or writing that book you’ve got inside you.

Whatever it is, stop making excuses for why you can’t and start now. There’s no better time.

So, what’s your dream? The one you would do, if only …

I’d love to hear and so would everyone else who visits here. Share your dream, what’s keeping you from living it and one action step you are willing to get a little closer to it?

8 Comments

  1. Craig FilekFriday, November 19, 2010 at 5:57 pm 

    Moving to Boulder… with Jeni & Corrina… and managing my buddies’ band… and going on tour with all the Enlightened Child toys & games I want to create…

  2. TaraFriday, November 19, 2010 at 8:41 pm 

    Alexis, Your post touches me more deeply then you know. In August of this past year my family and I set out for a vacance to France that I have been dreaming about my entire life. With a sense of intuition and trust we put our things in storage, just in case spirit met us and we wanted to stay.
    Well I am writing you this email from our home at the base of the French Alps! We DID it. We DID it. Can you feel it? My entire body shakes at what we have allowed ourselves permission to experience. My husband and I have two young boys that are now speaking fluent French. We wake up with a view of snow covered mountains, walk our boys to school, have a cafe, then some adult play time with a view to die for…followed by a few hours of marketing and coaching. I will say to anyone reading this. Please follow your dreams, trust your desires, allow yourself the gift of LIVING this life. What is your dream, why are you not pursuing it? Trust yourself, you are worth the dream. And the sooner you allow yourself to experience it, the next aspect of who you are and what you are truly capable of will bubble up inside you. Au revoir et faites des beaux reves…Tara Marino ElegantFemme.com

  3. Susan LiddyTuesday, November 23, 2010 at 7:20 pm 

    Love that you are in Peru right now. How excited. I went to Costa Rica several years ago and it was very inspiring. Loved being in a new place, with new people. It really opened my mind to the GREATNESS of this world in which we live. MANY different perspectives, ways of doing things… and an unlimited supply of dreams and goals ready to be brought to life.

  4. Denise Duffield-ThomasThursday, November 25, 2010 at 9:06 am 

    A year ago I was living in cold, wet and depressing London, but I was dreaming about going travelling with my hubby, living in a warm country, doing yoga and writing a book. Six months ago, I just “happened” to win a competition – the prize was to travel the world, testing honeymoon destinations and writing about it for a major national newspaper. Friends and family couldn’t believe it, but I saw it as destiny. I’m now writing this from Australia – it’s beautiful, sunny and warm and now I’m writing my book – I’ve got something very cool to write about.
    xDenise

  5. jaltucherSunday, November 28, 2010 at 2:57 pm 

    Great post, Alexis. I notice from the responses that everyone had to move someplace in order to find freedom or live their dreams. I commend this since its often hard to break free from the confines that your routine location places on your everyday routines, hence a feeling of slavery as opposed to freedom.

    But I wonder how many could benefit from first feeling free at their current locations. Finding purpose, meaning, even their dreams, where they are now – and then living the world life to experience freedom in other locales. I go back and forth on this. Technology (from airplanes to the Internet) makes the entire world accessible. As well as the general prosperity the developed world has experienced in the past century (which is related to the airplanes and the internet, etc). But its great to be able to find joy in the present moment regardless of location, job, family, etc. Moments add up to dreams.

  6. SusannaMonday, November 29, 2010 at 8:12 pm 

    I love that you’re seeing so many people who have given up the “American Dream” to discover and pursue their own dreams. That warms my heart.

    What you’re calling the new American dream — freedom, adventure, finding ourselves — was my dream all along, right from when I got out of college and took a good look at where the path labeled “American Dream” would take me and decided I wanted no part of that.

    So I lived a wonderful life of freedom, adventure, and finding myself — with the only downside being that I made no money at it. Now I’m expanding into a bigger dream that includes freedom, adventure, and finding myself along with feeling rooted in community (all that freedom and adventure can leave you without a home base), being of service, having a world-changing impact through my “great work”, and receiving a generous income for it all.

    Dreaming a new dream…
    Susanna

  7. Sohail KhanSaturday, March 24, 2012 at 10:55 am 

    I totally resonate with ALL of you! Having made Millions and lost Millions only to begin the journey back to Millions again and feeling that no amount of money can EVER make me happy again! Also my belief system does not allow me to be rooted in this system that makes us ALL slaves without really fulfilling our TRUE reason for being on this planet! Keep shining my friends and hold your torches high! x – Sohail Khan http://www.sohail-khan.com 

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