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Pippi Longstocking is one of my childhood idols. She is independent, incredibly strong, playful and strange in the most delightful way. She doesn’t conform to social norms that she doesn’t see the use of. She has a pet monkey, goes on pirate adventures, builds her own aircrafts and lives in the most adorable and colourful house.

I believe you are attracted to the characters of the stories you love, because they resonate with your biggest dreams. They portray the hope of a life you wish to have. What fictional characters or real life role models resonate with you? The reason why you feel drawn to them is because a part of who you are resembles their character. Grow that part of your character to become more and more of the person you wish to be.

Live your life as if you were writing your own story. If you were to write your autobiography, starting from now, what kind of book would it be? Where would you live, what people would you meet, what things would you do and what powers would you have?

The beauty of life is that you can shape it any way you want to. Do you want to have an adventurous life full of travel, exotic foods, intriguing people and majestic discovery? You can have it. Do you want to live in a colourful and magical house with glittery floors, swings as chairs and polka dotted walls? Create that home for yourself! Do you want to make a difference, show people that you love them and help those in need? Invest your time and love.

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Sure there are restrictions. You might lack the money, the courage, the time, the approval of a landlord or the imagination. You need to realise though, that these practicalities only block you to the extent that you let them block your way. You need to decide if your dream life is worth the effort to change them around.

How? Here are some ideas:

Start a dream fund. Put in any extra cash you make. Use your dream fund to fuel and build your dreams. Take that photography course you have been putting off for ages, learn how to surf or take a road trip. I believe the best way to spend money is not on material assets but on experiences. Experiences last a lifetime and build you up as a person.
Start investing regular time blocks in chasing your dream life. It won’t happen by itself. Your daily choices reflect the person you will become. Try new foods, talk to that handsome fellow at the bus stop, create your own fun morning ritual and dance in the rain.
Invest your time to grow the skills you would love to have. Make a list of all the things you would love to have, experience and be. You can’t have a dream life if you don’t know what you’re chasing. Take the time to list them and daydream about them. But don’t stop there. Put them into action. Become the person you want to be. Start living your dream life by choice, not by chance.

Give yourself the gift of investing in your future life right now. Before skipping to the next website, take a couple of minutes to brainstorm about what you will do today to make your life more fun, more special, more exciting and more story-like.

Remember, you can create your own story. You are the only one responsible for making sure your story is one that is worth telling. Don’t settle for anything less than an amazing, out of the ordinary adventure.

What are you doing today to build your own story? Tell me in the comments if you like.

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[pictures from Astrid Lingren’s Pippi Långstrump series, 1969]

10 Comments

  • Reply

    Carly

    May 11, 2014 at 23:37

    There was this one time I got caught laying on the ground on my belly talking to a caterpillar, and ever since that moment, I realized #1, it’s okay to create yourself as opposed to “being yourself”, and #2, that was the moment I was going to base the entire person I wanted to be off of. I don’t know if I’m making any sense, but–well, what I’m trying to say is, this is totally my second most important motto that I try to live by, right after the quote “We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us.” (Charles Bukowski) It comes in handy for changing such tiny details, like–if I wanna live a life worth telling stories about, I wouldn’t spend all my time on the computer all day because that’d be an awfully boring story. :)

    • Reply

      magicaldaydream

      May 12, 2014 at 04:39

      What a beautiful quote. And the moment you describe is so powerful! In the end all the detail add up to one big overall story.

  • Reply

    Kim

    May 13, 2014 at 00:34

    this is an AWESOME post I really needed it today. :)
    I loved Pippi Longstocking too when I was little, you are right, life is what you make it, and I definitely need to make more of an effort to follow my dreams everyday and start a dream fund!!! thank you so much

    http://floatingthrufields.blogspot.com/

  • Reply

    Irena

    May 13, 2014 at 16:29

    Lovely post! I honestly believe you’re the most inspiring blogger on the internet! My childhood hero is definitely Hermione Granger! She’s smart and honest and I love how she fights for the rights of house-elves. And she knits! I think it’ll be a good plan to try and be more like her. Especially with exams coming up, Hermione’s discipline is something I should really work on… :p

    • Reply

      magicaldaydream

      May 21, 2014 at 12:54

      What an awesome compliment to give, thank you! Isn’t it great how fictional characters can inspire our real-life self to do better? Thanks for sharing!

  • Reply

    Uncustomary Art

    May 14, 2014 at 06:44

    It makes sense that you identified with Pippi, because I did, too. I think that watching one of her movies is the earliest point I can remember recognizing that I was inspired. Obviously I had been inspired by things before (I had been living like Ariel from The Little Mermaid for years…) but this time I recognized *what* it was that I was feeling.

    I completely agree that the things we identified with strongly in childhood shouldn’t be forgotten. They were important to us at a base level, and we should embrace that.

    • Reply

      magicaldaydream

      May 21, 2014 at 12:55

      Ohhhh don’t even get me started on Ariel. I loved that movie so much! I wanted to be a mermaid. I even shared her name, well, almost ;)

  • Reply

    Happiness and other bullshit

    May 23, 2014 at 12:26

    I absolutely loved reading this. From this point on, I’m going to start saving money for a house that will absolutely contain everything I always dreamed of. I already wanted a ball pit room, a fluffy wall room, a mirror room and a slide + swing in my house, but thanks to you I just added the glitterly floors to my wishlist. Thanks a million!

    • Reply

      magicaldaydream

      May 26, 2014 at 08:28

      Haha sounds like my kind of dream house! There is definitely overlap in our visions ;)

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