Letting Dreams Come True

Being busy all the time trying to be everything to everybody, and taking on anything coming my way has nearly killed my internal guidance system and my capacity to act upon my own dreams. At times I even struggled to have a clear vision of what I actually desired! When I disconnected from myself in order to overcome life’s challenges the consequences were such that life often became even tougher; so much so until it eventually forced me to be authentic about my dreams and needs which led me back on track.

Sow a thought, and you reap an act;
Sow an act, and you reap a habit;
Sow a habit, and you reap a character;
Sow a character, and you reap a destiny.

Charles Reade

The older I am the more consciously I envision what I want and make sure I truly believe that my dream can become reality. I ask myself if I accept my new self which includes the desired change or the new thing as my future reality? Can I act as if I already achieved it? How does it feel if that specific thing comes true?

This builds a deep intention inside and instead of getting overwhelmed by all the steps which it might require I simply focus on taking the first small action in its direction. Once there is some momentum I move towards the next milestone. When I am acting on making the dream come true I focus on the specific and immediate action steps with the clear vision on how it feels when the whole thing is accomplished. It involves imagination but not necessarily knowledge about all the steps. Focusing on taking just one step reduces potential doubts about my ability to act on the whole dream. I behave as though the dream thing is on its way and my only mission is to take one small step towards it every day. Many times the sole process of taking action on a dream brings me as much (if not more) joy as the outcome!

Our thoughts, dreams and visions preceed their actual manifestation in reality. Of course, it’s usually not possible to manifest a dream right from where we stand. However, it is always possible to move in the dream’s direction. How do we know what is the right direction leading towards it? The approach that works best for me is to pause and listen to my inner voice (intuition, higher self, whatever you like to call it).

Which of all the choices I have available at this moment feels better and which feels worse? Selecting the one that feels better and is in line with my true self brings a sense of peace and relief. That’s a clear indicator. I view each decision point as a chance to adjust my life trajectory. It’s like a driver who passes multiple crossroads every day. At each turn he can slightly modify the path and direction. Imagine how a life may change after a year of such conscious choices..! We may end up in a totally different place depending on the small changes made every day.

We choose what to think, say and do. Or not do ;)

Our life is a trail of small and not so small decisions. It’s therefore true that in the end these choices shape our destiny. There are very few situations in which we cannot take a few moments to check whether what we are about to choose is in line with our inner purpose and whether it serves a higher good. I find I can accelerate this skill by meditating. It filters out the noise of my ego, the distractions of the outer world and invites me to get in touch with myself and notice what is trying to emerge from the depth of my heart and soul. We are much deeper than we tend to think…

After meditation I like to notice: What inside needs more attention? What’s most important? What belief, thought or emotion is no longer serving me? How much am I willing to change? How will it feel if I do that? How would I think, feel and live if I choose X now? What will I do a day or year after I decide for X? Then I let my inner wisdom and imagination offer me a response.

Our mind is not a container to be filled, but a fire to be lit!

Dorthea Brande

Now I know I can fully light myself up only when I am authentic and act on my inner guidance. I owe it to myself to live the life I was meant to and not what others might expect. When I finally decided to take 100 days of Nowness I realized the only one holding me back from living the way I preferred was myself. It was my own fears, doubts and old beliefs that interfered.

The first time I tried surfing my coach Phil told me: just check your vision, Jana, because you go where you look. As long as I was looking down I was falling off the board. When I looked straight ahead…there I went! I mean – surfed :)

I realized the same applies in everything we do. Where we focus there we go. Dreaming and envisioning our desired future is fun when we are tuned to our core self. When we know what is important to us and what legacy we intend to leave. When we believe in our ability to always move in the desired direction. Some questions that got me going: What dreams can I engage to build a crystal clear vision? What would the world look like if the great majority of us lived true to ourselves, fully present, aware of our energy flows and moving towards our dreams? What if we were doing our best using all our talents? What if we treated ourselves with the same care and love we naturally give to our children? How could I start living the best possible version of my life today?

We may have been resisting the intentions of our true self for a while. I know for a fact that I have been holding myself back, not having the courage to clearly and authentically express myself and pursue my deepest purpose. Many of us disregard the sweet intersection of our talents, joy and meaningful contribution only we are capable of. This can have many reasons, from believing that life is supposed to be hard and being me cannot support a family to a pure lack of energy to take that first step. When I started my 100 days off I took a training which included this exercise – list the things you wished to create and experience before you die. While reviewing the 30-some items I came up with I wondered…what has been holding me back from doing those? Frankly, it was mostly lack of confidence and focus. It took me far too long to get this and I know we have all been there… Sacrificing the things we prefer due to uncertainty, lack of support or confidence that we actually can pursue our dreams.

Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.

Les Brown

This takes us back to the fundamental question: how often do we choose to act from love instead of fear? And I mean all fear-associated emotions – insecurity, anxiety, hatred, greed, addiction, obsession… By staying in the state of love, appreciation and joy we attract the things we prefer, things we deeply resonate with. Now I consciously choose things that feel better, because I realized that the better I feel inside the better things go outside.

I sense that as human beings we were born to be creators not just firefighters, survivors or observers. Creating starts with an idea shaped into a vision followed by action; then actions gradually turn that vision into a meaningful product.

Care how you feel, believe in your creativity and follow your inspiration. Mind your thoughts, dreams, choices and actions because in the end they will shape your legacy. No need to have it all figured out. We can simply choose the option which feels better and which we have the highest capability to act on. Lets trust our intuition to guide us. By moving in forward with confidence, self-acceptance and focus on what we can create from here and now we apply ourselves in a positive way. I now wish that all I create is an expression of myself and serves a higher purpose. I prefer to view life as a buffet table which is here for us to figure out and choose what we want to think, feel and create. And in case you are not sure, that’s perfectly ok. Sometimes the fastest way to create a great vision is to clarify what we don’t want first.