Learning to Dream

I have said it before, I am a dreamer. I see nothing wrong with this fact. Somewhere along the way, probably from years of not having dreams come true, we find that dreams are not achievable. As children we dream of being a fire fighter, a movie star, a world famous ballerina, or a cowboy, but as we grow older and it looks less and less likely that it will in fact come true, we give up dreaming. We push it off to the side, or we discount its realness, and we continue on with our days as if nothing is wrong.

The problem is there is something wrong. Deep inside where we forced our dreams to hide, they are waiting to burst out and waiting to be believed in once again. You see, achieving your dreams gives life its purpose. Accomplishing that which is difficult or impossible gives us gratification. It opens up our whole world to a new paradigm in which we see a world for what can be done and not what can't be done.

Dreams are not the result of the thoughts and fantasies of a child. Dreams are your brain telling you what you can accomplish if you believe in yourself enough. There is no impossible in this world. Learn to dream again, let yourself free, open up the flood gates and let yourself out.

Granted dreams take work. The nature of a dream is that it is out there in the distance. It is something that almost seems foreign to us because it has not yet entered our reality. It is still just a thought. This is where most of us give up. We don't take the next steps, we don't take action. Nothing in this world was ever done with out the hard work of someone. Making a dream become reality takes hard work and dedication. Most people are unwilling to commit to putting in the effort because they lack the belief in themselves to make things happen. They see all the obstacles and the hardships and they give up.

Dreams are funny though, despite our giving up on them they don't give up on us. They live on inside us just waiting for the day when you will learn to dream again. They wait deep inside you waiting for you to believe once again, as you did when you were a child. Let go of the inadequacies which you cling to and use as a gate to living the life you want. Open the door, invite your dreams to meet with reality, and if you put in the effort I guarantee the two will merry.

Mt. Kilimanjaro

I have had this dream of climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro and it is my goal to do so later this year. I will be doing an internship (although I am not sure where or with who, if anyone has any ideas I would love to hear them!) with any luck in Africa. Once I am over there, which is the expensive part, I want to travel around a little and see some of the continent. My last destination before heading home will be to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. Why you ask? I am afraid of heights. I want to test myself on my greatest fear, and push my body to limits it has not seen before because I believe I can. Mt. Kilimanjaro is a mountain in both the physical and mental senses. Getting to the top will show me what I am capable of.

For most people to find this point in their minds it is not a mountain that you ascend. For me it is because of my fear of it. We all have some fear the cripples us. Some people are able to cope with it better than others, and some don't even recognize just how debilitating the fear has actually become. Ask yourself this: "Do I do everything I want or does something stop me?" Now if it is your conscience or morals that stop you then you are probably ok, but if it is this little gut feeling that tells you your goal is something to be scared of or to fear then you have found your mental mountain.

Climbing your mental mountain is about more than just the feeling you will have after you accomplish your feat, it is about showing yourself you can believe in yourself. Everyone thinks that changing the world is about some grand event or large movement. The fact is that changing the world is incremental. Nothing happens overnight, it takes time and energy. The place to start is within ourselves. If we can break down our own barriers and start to live the lives we can imagine and start to see that our dreams can become reality, then we open the world up to the possibility that what is does not have to be. We need to start replacing fear and cynicism with hope and optimism. When we do this then change can begin to be made in leaps and bounds.

Our obstacle to a better world lies within us. We have the means to change the world every day and the best place to start is to defeat your fears. Reach the apex and show the world what is possible.

How to Live Your Dream

I came across this great post on a blog and I wanted to share it with all of you. The author is Sean M Kelly and the link to the post is here

Is living your dream only for a select few or can we all realise our dreams? Here’s six tips to help you live yours.

1. Create a Great Purpose - The greater the reason you have to live your dream the greater your motivation. Think of those who have achieved greatly in their lives. Their purpose wasn’t limited by a personal agenda but by a purpose which was far greater than themselves. A few years ago I had the honour to musically lead Sir Bob Geldof into a conference. During his keynote speech he spoke about how “Live Aid” began. He said, “…our goal was to raise $75,000 to help feed people in Africa. Now millions and millions of dollars later we’re still doing it.” Create a great purpose for your dream - world abundance, world peace, feed the world, make poverty history or whatever resonates deep within you, almost as if you were born for this purpose to be realised.

2. Explore Your Dreams - What are your talents and gifts? What are you deeply passionate about? What do you love? Everyone has talents and gifts. Everyone has unique contributions to make to our world. However if we just follow everyone elses lead hoping to be liked and approved of, we may miss our calling. Ask yourself - what do you truly love doing? Do you lose track of time when you’re doing this? Would you do it even if you never got paid?

3. Create a Vision - Get a blank sheet of paper and markers. Now imagine anything is possible. Then draw a vision for your ultimate dream, one that feels absolutely fantastic! It’s the feelings that will energise your vision into reality, so let them soar! Put the vision somewhere you will see it daily and reconnect with those feelings as if your dream is already true.

4. Take guided action - There is an intelligence within the universe that keeps the planets in their orbits, ensures the sun rises daily and can also manifest your dreams. What do you need to do? Let go of the need to figure “how” your dream will happen, trust the infinite intelligence of the universe and watch for opportunites that arise. These opportunities may come to you, or your intuition may urge you to take guided action. Whichever way they arise, gently seize these opportunies!

5. Give Thanks - A thirteenth century philosopher, Meister Eckhart once said - if the only prayer we ever said in our lives was “thankyou” it would be enough. Never cease to feel gratitude for the manifestion of your dreams. Your feelings of gratitude is the energy which fuels the magical manifestation of your dreams. No matter how slow or fast the progress, celebrate every step of the way!

6. Your Greatest Gift - Finally and most importantly remember even if your dream doesn’t come true, be forever grateful for the greatest gift of all - the gift of your precious and unique life. And know that this world is a better place because … You have dared to live your dream!