Dreams – what are they? Dreams are different things to different people. Thank goodness we all have different dreams. The world would be a pretty dull place if we all had the same dreams. Dreams are a series of images or pictures that we can see. They can be hopes or aspirations that we have. Dreams are something we have longed for, maybe even since we were children. Dreams are something you can see yourself doing in the future. I can see myself living in financial freedom – free from the corporate slave camp.
1) Dreams will give you the map for your future
In order to get anywhere in life you need to know where you are going. If we do not decide for ourselves where we want to be in five years, then others will decide for us. Who would you rather have making the decisions regarding YOUR life –YOU or someone else? Dreams allow us to have the image of our future on the inside. The dream must be on the inside before it will show up on the outside.
Can you imagine where you would end up if you attempted to drive across the country without a map? The map can provide the big picture “my driving route from Vancouver to West Palm Beach”. It can also provide the specific detail on simply how to get out of the city of Vancouver.
When we start the dreaming process it can take on a life of its own and the map begins to develop. In my journey, as I achieve the smaller dreams, the big dreams just keep getting bigger. Things that I dreamed about years ago that I believed were “way too big” for me, are now coming true. As I achieve those smaller dreams the ideas, examples and means for the larger dreams simply show up in my life, my map is growing and developing.
2) Dreams help you handle the negatives in your life
We need to keep a watch out for those dream thieves. They come in ways you wouldn’t expect. Your family or friends is where you can really be blindsided. Receiving a remark from a family member or a friend like “Who do you think you are?” or “Your name ain’t Rockefeller” can devastate you, or even worse can make you abandon your dream.
Being prepared is our best defence! Simply knowing that it can happen helps. Understanding why people do that to their friends and family helps even more. They do not want you to leave them behind. They want you to stay in that nice comfy niche with them for the rest of your lives. If that nice comfy niche is not the life of your dreams, it is time to move on.
3) Dreaming keeps you young
Many people believe that only kids dream, that once we become adults we “should” not dream anymore. (Tell that to someone who dreams about winning the lotto – use a different example -this doesn’t make your point use e.g. Harlan Sanders or Abe Lincoln) or the grandparents who dream of taking their grandchildren to Disneyland . Granted in our society today children are better at dreaming, but I believe that to be one of our biggest tragedies that we are not taught to dream throughout our entire lives.
Dreaming helps us to stay young. I love this quote by John Barrymore.
You are not old until regret takes the place of dreams.
4) Dreams will give you that reason for living
When I was in my mid-thirties I was diagnosed with depression. I was able to get out of that depression without the use of drugs because I began personal development as well as doing things for others instead of focusing on myself. That personal development allowed me to take the first steps and start dreaming again. Dreams are possible if you can see them on the inside. We are not given a dream we cannot accomplish, our dreams are our reason for being here.
5) Dreaming about the impossible makes huge impacts on yourself and others
Sometimes dreams seem impossible, but where would we be if it were not for the dreamers of the world like Walt Disney or Bill Gates? Can you imagine Walt Disney standing in those orange groves in Florida and having the dream of Disneyworld? What an awesome reason for getting up in the morning! You wouldn’t be reading this on your computer if it were not for Bill Gates. Both men have proven to the world that once you see that dream on the inside you can make it come true. I can see you doing better with your family, your job, your business, your relationships, and your life!! Where do your dreams fit in? YOU can come up with a great idea, a wonderful reason to get up in the morning and make it come true.
You can get started right now on your dreams. What are they, if you have no idea I want you to sit quietly for one uninterrupted hour with pen and paper. You need to start writing what your dreams/goals are. When you sit for one hour you can get past all the great “stuff” that most of us want like the home of our dream, that great car or that awesome family vacation.
Be as specific as you can. Once you write those dreams out you will then be able to uncover any other dreams from your heart. That is where the fun begins. Once you get them written out, send me an email with all your dreams listed. Committing them to paper and sharing them with someone else furthers the process of making them real.
I look forward to reading your dreams! And thank you for having the courage to write them down and share.
As always you are invited to join in the conversation by leaving your comments here on the blog.