Dream On...

Today's Word is Dreams

“Dreams are today’s answers to tomorrow’s questions.” - Edgar Cayce

So, here we are at the letter D. This next word follows commitment nicely and when self-awareness, a healthy belief system, commitment and dreams are combined, a powerful partnership emerges. A dream is to embrace potential and possibility and without dreams we would not be flying, driving or reading words on a computer. They are the catalyst for many a great invention and solution. They are an outpouring of your natural desire to create, to represent, to demonstrate yourself to the world; “This is who I am; this is what I can do.” All things start with a dream or a vision of what you hope for in your best possible reality. When transformed into goals, workable plans and eventually actions, they can be a driving force for the change and growth you desire in your life.

“If you are still hanging onto a dead dream of yesterday, laying flowers on its grave by the hour, you cannot be planting the seeds for a new dream to grow today.” Joyce Chapman

But, dreams can also be the wasteland of disappointments, bubbling fears and irrevocable longings. Over time, they can be a focal point for your disdain and dissatisfaction with yourself and your life. You may use them to escape or as a reason to not pursue other, more fulfilling opportunities in you path. Dreams often have expiration dates and maintenance steps that are required in order to preserve their validity. They must be held up to the light of day, to the scrutiny of wisdom and authenticity. They must be in line with your strengths, experiences and truest nature. Learning to put your energy and attention toward goals that work with your skills and capabilities ensures success. If the dream has eluded you, you are struggling continuously – is not your energy better utilized in the service of those things that truly work for you? Remember commitment? “Interest with the highest priority.” That is what a dream is, or rather; this is what an achievable dream is. One that when held up to the light of day, contains within it the seed of possibility, because it fits your values, your strengths, your experiences. It is one that keeps you in the moment and not longing for someday. Is not a dream one that inspires commitment and action? I know so. Someday is a dangerous place to live, because today is the only day, the only moment. Visit someday as a way to see where you are going, but live in today. Today is the day, where you are living that dream, because the dream isn’t just the achievement at the end of the road; It is the story of how you got there, the burgeoning of character, the development of wisdom, it is your story. It is the joy present in the creation of something and the expression of self. It is the relentless steps you took to make it a reality. That is the dream; reality, not fantasy.

Today Ask Yourself:

1. Are you hanging onto a dream that rather than pushing you forward and motivating you, is pulling you backwards?
2. Do you feel like you are failing?
3. Are you spouting dreams as a way to avoid living in the moment and embracing the here and now?
4. Have you forgotten why you had the original dream in the first place?
5. Have you let fear get in the way of pursuing the dream or letting the dream go?

When the future is more interesting than the present it becomes easy to become infatuated with your dreams. Often, it is the spirit of the dream that is important, not the exact parameters. The essence of what not only achieving that goal, but pursuing that goal will give you. What is the spirit of your dreams and do they propel you forward?

Through the coaching process, I have witnessed clients confirming existing dreams, reevaluating outdated ones and shifting from dreaming, to doing. Working with Emotional Freedom Technique and individualized coaching tools, clients have been able to remove outmoded beliefs creating a vision for the future grounded firmly in the present. What a dream!

An interesting book that explores manifesting one's dreams is, 'Courageous Dreaming: How Shamans Dream The World Into Being" by Alberto Villoldo, PH.D.