WHEN YOUR HEART IS IN YOUR DREAM, NO REQUEST IS TOO EXTREME
Einstein believed that dreaming was more important than knowledge or deduction
I was on the phone recently with a good friend. Somehow we got talking about dreams and how unique our dreams are to us. We weren’t talking about REM cycle dreams; we were talking about our life dreams – what we want for our lives and how we want our lives to be. I’ll admit that I am a dreamer – always thinking of what comes next, how things could be and what would make life even better. I don’t see this as not being content. Rather, I see it as supporting a view of a limitless world – a world where whatever we can imagine, we can consider. And if we consider it, we may just be able to make it happen.
Dreams are our power source – they not only help us get things done, but dreaming an expansive view of our lives. Our dreams are unique to us. This is intentional, says author of Infinite Possibilities, Mike Dooley. “ We have different dreams for a reason: to maximize the chances of us having the kind of adventures that will enrich us the most. We’re not all born wanting to be doctors, we’re not all born wanting to be beautiful, and, as hard as this may seem to believe, we’re not all born wanting to live easy cushy lives. No two people want the exact same things.”
Dreams are an important part of who we are and who we can become. In our dreams, we impose few, if any, limitations. We tune out the loud and judging voices of others and get to have life our way. We hang on to the dreams we love and let the others go – kind of a ‘life dry-run’ – seeing the options we have in life and trying them out in our minds before we choose to live or not live them. For many of us, making time for dreaming may seem like just another thing on our to do list. But consider these types of dreaming that are not only already part of our day, but are helping you show up more amazing each day:
• Day dreaming – take dream breaks throughout the day— take a walk outside during your lunch break; reconnect wherever your mind wants to wander. Sit with what it sends your way.
• Work dreaming – great companies always encourage employee dreaming. They build in time for employees to just imagine, consider and be; this gives them the space to consider new things and image possibilities that would otherwise not had the ability to come forward.
• You dreaming – spend time thinking about having your amazing life and making the impact you want.
• Others dreaming – spend time focusing on the people you love and imagine all the ways to connect with them.
• Food dreaming – I had to put this in; it’s my favorite type of dreaming. Spend time imagining what flavors and ingredients go together. Imagine time at the table enjoying your favorite foods. Give yourself time and the permission to dream shamelessly- It can create options never previously considered. It will create new ideas, identify potential new business, develop better relationships… the list is endless.