Hard to believe but it’s heading toward summer’s end. Have you taken your vacation yet? Can’t afford a big vacation? No problem. My favorite dream vacation costs nothing. It’s not a big, expensive trip to an exotic place.

 I literally mean a vacation where you can dream. All you need is a quiet and peaceful place and time – away from everyday life for a few days or a week. For me it has to be outside enjoying nature – could be as simple as gardening or walking along a beach. Most important of all – it’s a place where you can let your midlife dreams flow.

 At midlife we need to remember our dreams or make new ones. We no longer want to or can afford to chase someone else’s dream. This is the time when we still have energy to design our own life, to change directions or at least fine tune our direction and live our own dreams – in our career and our life – the kind that accompanies authentic living.

 Here’s how to plan your dream vacation:

1. Find places that you enjoy that will allow quiet time with no distractions. Leave your phone and computer and other disruptive technologies home. Try a museum or park or nature preserve or something from your summer bucket list.

 2. Once there, empty out your everyday thoughts and to-do lists. Allow your mind and imagination to open up. Think big. What have you always wanted to be? Where would you be living? What would your life be like? Imagine what wild success would look like. Think about your life and career 3 – 5 years in the future and imagine that you’ve had your best years. What are they like? What would your finances and relationships look like?

 3. Take the time to continue dreaming for several days, maybe in different locations. Just let your dreams flow.

 4. Now, here’s the bad news. There is a problem with this dream vacation – you have to return to reality. You don’t want to lose all this wonderfulness, so you can’t stop here. You need to make them come alive and live them.

 The Law of Attraction says that you will receive the type of energy you send out. So you need to lock in your dream by surrounding it with positive emotions and enthusiasm. A great way to do that is by creating a Vision Board and Vision Statement. Keep your dreams in front of you as a daily motivator.

 Just focusing is not enough either, you need to start living your dream. Let’s say one of your dreams is to be an executive in your firm within 5 years. Today, you need to act as if you already achieved your dream and be that executive – in how you dress and how you act.

 Action: Plan your dream vacation. Then build a plan to reach your dreams. All that positive energy will help your dream come true. By daily focus you’ll build momentum. Let your dreams come true.

Creating a vision board and vision statement are part of my CLEAR PATH process to help you clarify your career goals and make the transition to your next chapter with clarity and confidence. See more at http://www.YourNextChapterNOW.com