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It’s September again. This time of year always seems like a time of new beginning to me. It may be connected to memories of getting ready for school as a kid: new shoes, new school supplies, a haircut (and some years a perm). I remember starting every school year with a hope of change: a great teacher, better grades, being more popular.

The school year often brings change to us as parents as well, especially to those fortunate enough to work from home, or who are free of a job for a while. Little ones beginning preschool give a few hours of breathing space, and beginning all day school gives the possibility of time for a job or creative endeavor. The biggest change is when the kids go off to college and the immediate daily concerns of parenting take a breather. Life offers many other opportunities for new beginnings. Leaving a job, loss of a loved one, relationships ending, illness, or coming into money are some outer events that nudge us to reinvent or at least redefine ourselves.

We’ve all heard the popular question, what would you do if you knew you could not fail? We can add to this, and if money were no object. Hearing this, we’re likely to get wistful, knowing in our hearts the promise it offers. But how often do we contemplate the possibility offered here? We have the ability to create a life that’s huge, that’s awesomely pleasing to us, that we’re uniquely equipped to handle, and that brings us closer to who we really are.

Many of us, rather than create our lives, mold ourselves to whatever conditions come along. We also build our lives by default, settling for the practical and convenient rather than that which we’re in love with. We often find ourselves in conditions chosen by others.

Those of us feeling the urge toward change might spend some time with the question above. What would we do if we knew we could not fail and that money was no object? How would we paint our lives if we could begin with a blank canvas and color in only the things we love? If viewed in something approaching its entirety, the prospect is exhilarating. It’s also terrifying.

One would think it would be easy to out-picture the perfect life, but it’s not. It’s hard to get past the need for practicality, or the whole deserving thing. It’s hard to see the strictures already present in our lives, and when we do see them, to know that they don’t have to stay. It’s hard to silence the voices that say we can’t afford it, or that we we’ll look foolish, or that risk is bad and safety is good.

Despite these difficulties, we might benefit from spending some time mentally creating the life we want. What would we do if we couldn’t fail? What do we want if money is no object? Let’s take some time to dream dreams that are wildly impractical. Mentally let’s indulge our every whim, looking through magazines or online and trying things we see on for size. Let’s think back to what we wanted as kids and see if those dreams are still active. If we knew success was guaranteed, what would we choose?