Because I have an inquiring mind, I have spent some time observing and studying the lives of those who seem to be thriving in life. While I don’t claim to have discovered one singular reason for this, through my observation and study, I have identified a common theme among all of them: they all possess the uncanny ability of daring to dream. Take a look into the lives of people many consider famous and you will see what I mean. Walt Disney, for instance, had a dream of “The happiest place on earth.” Katy Perry always dreamed of being on stage and performing her music in front of thousands of people. Jim Carrey dreamed of making millions for sharing his talent through acting. These people are just a few examples of those who dared to dream. But dreaming doesn’t only apply to celebrities; it applies to anyone that has accomplished their goals or lived the life they desire, including your neighbors and friends. If you take the time to sit down with those people, you will hear stories of how they always dreamed of doing what they are doing now. And for many, those dreams started at childhood: “I always wanted to be a mom,” or “I always dreamed of living in Europe,” or “From the time I was a kid, I always knew I wanted to be on stage and perform.” These people didn’t necessarily know why they had these dreams, but they knew they burned deep in their hearts and despite the rollercoaster ride that it can be to achieve dreams, they stayed focused and true to their dreams until they came to fruition. It is a pattern for all of us to follow. When I look back to when I was a little girl, I don’t remember having any real big dreams. I wasn’t planning my future, I didn’t know what I wanted to be, and I wasn’t planning my wedding. I was simply trying to survive. How we put food on the table and got through life was more important than where I would be in 30 years. When I got out of high school, I had no clue what I wanted to be. I just knew I had to go to college or find a good job because I didn’t want to have to struggle like my mom did as a single parent. My motivation to find a career was, again, about survival. Survival is how I have spent most of my life and how I have made many of my decisions, until a couple of years ago when it all changed. I was at the end of a life-changing program I had enrolled in and our last assignment was to create a vision board. This vision board wasn’t just about setting simple achievable goals (which is good), but it was about setting goals a million times higher, totally out of our comfort zones. The assignment was essentially an invitation for us to dare to dream. In my 32 years of life, I had never received such an invitation. I thought, “You want me to do what?” It sounded exciting at first, but it forced me to confront every insecurity I have ever had. Putting aside apprehensions like “Who am I to have these dreams?,” I took the challenge and went with it. The assignment took me a couple of weeks to complete and I really did put my heart into it. When I was finished, I felt like I had just completed the equivalent to ten therapy sessions and I cried and cried. The tears were mixed emotions. On one side I was depressed I had never had this opportunity before, but on the other hand, I was grateful to have it now. As I completed the assignment, my heart was full of excitement, despite the uncertainty of how such things would actually be realized. To be honest, at first the only people I felt comfortable sharing my vision board with was the small group of people who did the assignment with me. When I shared my dreams and my vision board with other people, I almost felt embarrassed and maybe even a little delusional. Again the insecure thoughts surfaced and I found that I was scared to have these dreams, thinking, “What if they don’t come true?” And with my question came the answer: “So what if they don’t?” The point wasn’t to have all my dreams right then and there. The point was to see how far I could stretch myself by learning to dream big and to have a focus and intention of what I really want out of life. And that’s the point for all of us. In the two years since I created my vision board, several things have come to fruition, while others remain dreams to chase. And while there is a part of me that wants all of those things now, there is a greater part of me that loves the excitement of chasing those dreams. It gives me a greater sense of purpose and meaning to my life, knowing that it will be an adventure getting there. So, why am I telling you all of this? The reason is that I want to give you the gift that I was given two years ago. I want to give you permission to dare to dream—yes dream, and dream big! And not only do I invite you to dream. I dare you to. Put your greatest heart’s desire out there and watch how it unfolds. This isn’t a midlife crisis moment I’m talking about, where you feel like you need to drop everything and become obsessive about it. Instead, it’s about putting out the intention and using the power of visualization to help it come to pass. Doing that really does work and it is pretty powerful stuff. You just have to believe. And if you’re struggling with that, then know this: I believe in you and I think you deserve the best. No matter how old you are or your place in life, it is never too late to dare to dream. This quote by Paul Brant sums it up best, “The sky is not the limit when there are footprints on the moon.” As you take this challenge and decide what it is that you’re dreaming about, keep these questions and tips in mind: 1. What are your heart’s desires? In other words, if you had all the money in the world what would you do with your life? 2. Keep your ego at bay by asking yourself what would be something that will bring out the best version of you and how will achieving your dreams allow you to serve others better? 3. Some days you will be able to run towards these dreams and some days you will have to take baby steps. Enjoy the process of achieving the destination. 4. When you achieve a goal, keep a reminder somewhere for yourself that you did achieve it and replace the goal you achieved with another goal. 5. Make some short term dreams and some long term so you don’t get discouraged. 6. Share your vision board with your family and friends; include them in the process. You can even develop a family vision board. 7. Stay true to yourself. While we may all share things in common, your vision board should look completely different than anyone else’s. The goal isn’t about keeping up with the Joneses; it’s about living a life of purpose and focusing on those dreams that belong to you! 8. Last but not least, have fun! If you need help getting started I would love to be a part of the process. I would love to meet with you and help you develop your vision board as your success coach. Send me a message and we can get going on this amazing process! Lots of love and healing to you, Holly
Posted on: Fri, 26 Jul 2013 00:35:59 +0000
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