Thursday, September 24, 2009

What are your Dreams and Visions about?

Everyone is born with at least one dream, everyone.  We learn what our dream or vision is when we are very young.  Often, we get more than one.  We start talking about our vision and dreams when we are very young. If we are lucky, we get parents who will encourage those dreams, or we may get parents, who though well meaning, will tell us 'don't hope for too much, or you may be disappointed.'  We are slowly but steadily guided away from what our life plan was meant to be.  I have always said that it is through the requirements of 'education' that we learn to walk away from our own dreams.  The educational system, while contributing to our knowledge of certain subjects, does not care about our dreams.  That is not ill intended, but if someone dreams of being a writer, or whatever we want, we are led away through the pressures of 'making a living', and walk away from the dream very early. 
Once we are in the habit of earning a paycheck, we have difficulty weaning ourselves away from those paychecks, and the dream fades farther away.  But dreams don't die, only the dreamers.  There are many people, right now, that are in jobs that are totally opposite of what they dreamed of doing.  This does not apply to just a few people.  When this recession started, shortly thereafter, I realized that looking at it from a positive view, this could be a godsent to many who have dreams still unrealized.  Could this be an opportunity for those selected for cut backs, to finally find a way to pursue their dreams.  I realized that many people didn't know that their dreams were 'given' to them as part of their life's plan.  Once we become aware of our dreams, it is not easy to continue on a path that continues to take us away from them.  When I realized what would make me happiest, I looked at  my paycheck and thought to myself, 'okay, I am making good money, paying my rent, food, clothes, etc., but is this it? I was grateful for my income, but I was not 'satisfied' with my life.  I didn't know of anything that I could buy that would bring that feeling of satisfaction.  I felt like I was wasting my life.  I had come to understand that unless I did what I was meant to do, I would never feel that my life had any meaning.
 
The other thing I learned was that having a spouse and children, was not all we were meant to acquire in this life.  I realized that although having a family was totally acceptable, the family was supposed to be the 'support system' so that we could walk in our dreams.  Many people have nice families, but yet, they are not 'satisfied' because there is still something missing.  What they don't realize is that it is self disatisfaction that drives many to break up families, mess up at work, and go into stress and depression.  When we walk in harmony and in agreement with our dreams, then the rest of our relationships fall into place, but only if your partner is also walking in their own dream.  Father, husband, mother, wife, are merely titles, they are not what we are supposed to be doing with our personal life.  An artist can be a husband and a father, but if he doesn't paint, he will not be the father or husband he wants to be.  The same is true for mothers too. 

This is what makes us different than animals.  They procreate, but they can't dream.  Their deepest desire is the instinct to survive.  Being a good parent is wonderful, but it isn't what the real 'you' is about.  Being good parents is really just a parenthesis in our lives.  Your dream will never go away.  You can suppress it, ignore it, or you can make the decision to forget about it, but it still will not go away.  It is said that at the time of our death, we don't usually think, ,'I wish I hadn't done this or that',  it is 'if only I had done this or that'.  Now, during this time, is the perfect time to bring out your personal dream, air it, look at it, and if there is no way to find a way to do it, MAKE a way!  Talk to people, search the web, ask for help, talk to those who are living their dream, particularly if that person is doing what you dream of doing.  People are more than willing to help.  People want to help you.  Believe that, and trust your dream. 
What is my dream?  To write things that help others to open the windows of their minds, and help them to see the miracle they really are.  Miraculous enough that a dream was entrusted to them.  Dreams are how we create our world, our life, and do for others.