Connect With Your Dreams

From an early age, I was very much a dreamer.  I believed anything was possible.  I felt anything could be created, and certainly that I could do it.  Most children believe in this way.  They have no trouble believing in the magic of life, like Christmas, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, Gnomes, Fairies, etc.  They believe in their dreams, and that what they see as possible, is in fact possible if only they had the skills to figure it out…and sometimes they do!

What happens to this magic?  Somewhere along the line of growing up, our ability to believe in magic seems to change for so many of us.  I don’t believe we lose our idealism.  In fact I think true idealism is a force within us that if tended and nurtured, will become a generative influence for the seeds of creativity within us.  Yet even while this force remains within, it gets buried beneath layers of skepticism, rationalism, practicality, political correctness, naysayers, scientific thinking, negativity, false idealism (conformity, body image, etc.) and a high level of apathy in our culture.

What if idealism, or more specifically, connecting to our dreams, is about “doing our part?”  What if we have those dreams so that we can be a contributor in life in such a way that moves humanity forward in a direction that evolves our souls and connects our spirits and each other?  What if our unique ideals are the very things that we are given to bring forth our unique gifts and share them in the world?  Wouldn’t we then have a responsibility to connect with these ideals and do all that we can to live them?

Ok, maybe that’s too idealistic!  Or is it?  In my life, I’ve received a lot of conflicting messages about what we are capable of, or what is acceptable.  I’ve heard those who said, “people cannot change,” yet I’ve witnessed profound changes in many people.  I’ve heard people who said, “the word “can’t” will keep you from making progress,”  yet I witnessed those same people making excuse after excuse as to why they couldn’t do various things.   I listened to people say that fear is nothing that should stop you, and yet remain paralyzed in fears they don’t even recognize.   At the same time, I saw people say how worried or afraid they were about something, and do it anyway.  I watched people who said they “can’t” end up making things happen anyway, and discovering abilities they didn’t even realize they had.  I wonder what might be possible if we actually aligned our words with our actions, and of course believed that we could with all our heart?

BELIEF!  Now there’s a word to contemplate.  What do you believe?  Perhaps it is in getting clear about what you believe that will help you connect to those ideals and dreams you came here to align with.  Getting clear on our core beliefs is easier said than done.  We might find that we have so many beliefs, and at first, we don’t see the core beliefs behind them.  We might discover that we have an easier time noticing all of the things we don’t believe, rather than knowing what we do believe.  Perhaps there is resistance to believing anything out of fear that we might be dogmatic or wrong.  Or perhaps we notice that as we begin to articulate our beliefs, we wonder why we believe them in the first place.  We can learn a lot about ourselves as we look at what we believe in and what matters to us.  In fact, it is important to do this to really know ourselves and shine forth the essence of who we truly are.

Consider how many people don’t know who they are.  Consider the countless individuals who go through life never even thinking about what they believe.  They simply accept what their family, the media or their community has stated as being “true.” And even worse, there are those that have lost such hope in the validity of their dreams, that they adopt false ideals that have to do with power and control.  Thankfully, I see more and more people opening up to who they are, and feeling the discontent of not having been living in alignment with that.  This is wonderful news!  Imagine what might open up and become possible as more and more people share their gifts, open to the gifts of others, and live in alignment with ideals that ultimately spring forth from a “higher authority,” perhaps from the “higher authority” that is our true self!

As I contemplated what I believe, and why I do what I do, I came to the following:

  • I believe that we as an humanity haven’t come close to living our full potential, that we can do much better than we are, and that it’s time for us to start doing it.
  • I believe that we can co-create a new paradigm by living authentically, that we cannot live authentically until we see who our authentic true self is, and that we cannot see our authentic true self until we are willing to go to the depths of our being, get real about what matters to us and take responsibility for living in alignment with what matters.
  • I believe each human being holds a piece of the great mystery of life, and that in understanding this, we learn to appreciate and honor each others’ differences, as well as realize the importance of shining our own unique light into the world so that the mystery can unfold.
  • I believe that every domain of our lives, be it parenting and family, relationships, health and well-being, nourishment and nutrition, career, environment, etc., is an opportunity for us to discover and express our authentic selves and learn to align with our truth.
  • I believe that each of us has the power to go to the depths of our being, connect with our ideals, and shine forth the unique light that we are.
  • I believe that with my coaching and programs, I can help individuals to have the lifestyle they long to have, and take action to get them there.

How Can You Practice and Connect to Your Dreams?

  1. Throughout the day, notice moments when you have the feeling of “yes, that’s so great,” or “no, that’s not right.” Consider the belief you hold that stands behind what makes your situation, experience, or circumstance seem good vs. bad, or right vs. wrong.  For example, perhaps someone sees your purse left on a chair in a restaurant and returns it to you, and you feel so grateful.  Your belief might be that it is important for people to be thoughtful.  On the other hand, you may take something to be returned that was defective and feel dismissed with the apathy of the store clerk.  This may be showing you that you believe businesses should do their best to make it right when a customer is dissatisfied.  Journal these insights as a brainstorming exercise to connect with your ideals, dreams and beliefs.   Try doing this for a number of days to really get a good list.
  2. Consider the list you made above, and go deeper.  Ask yourself if there is another belief standing at the core of the one you wrote. You might have a fundamental belief in fairness or justice associated with the notion that a business needs to satisfy a customer.  Or you might find that you believe in the importance of following your conscience at the heart of your belief that people should be thoughtful.
  3. Where do the beliefs you have come from?  Are there any beliefs you discovered may not even be yours, but that you adopted from cultural, familial, or other influences?  Are there certain beliefs that might be holding you back in your life, such as “I can’t do that,” or “this isn’t possible?”
  4. What if it is possible to shift by believing something you never believed before…trying on the idea for a while until it becomes part of you?  For example, what if you believed you DO deserve to have the lifestyle you’ve been longing for? How might that change how you show up each day?  Try playing with this idea to shift beliefs that are not serving you and see what happens.  Give it a fair try, and work with it for at least a few weeks.

May you have the courage to get real about your ideals and what you believe.  May you have the strength to live in alignment with them.  May you have the wisdom to know you have important gifts to share that the world needs today!

Share Your Thoughts

What kinds of beliefs do you notice are not serving you in your life?  How might you shift them?  Leave a comment below and share with our community.  I look forward to hearing your stories!

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