Im(Possible) Dreams
This is NOT a blog post urging you to dream the impossible dream, fight the unbeatable foe and other such sage advice.
Of course, there’s something inspiring and amazing about a person having a vision for a desired future and, despite huge odds, he or she is able to manifest that dream. It becomes a reality.
Impossible dreams do come true. Your own impossible dreams may very well come true for you.
This is also NOT a blog post that attempts to tell you which of your dreams are possible and which are impossible. Actually, I believe that pretty much anything is possible and that any of us can live the kind of lives we envision for ourselves.
What this blog post IS about starts with this question…
What are any of us hiding from when we dream “impossible” dreams?
Recently, I came to the realization that some of my dreams that feel unrealistic and impractical– impossible– are pretty much an excuse.
When I dream about singing in a rock band, operating a retreat center or traveling the world, I am focusing in on dreams that seem to me to be impossible in the context of where I am right now in my life, my present responsibilities, financial situation and even my current preferences.
If I really admit it to myself, none of these dreams are manifestations that I truly want to bring about soon (or ever). Yes, there are aspects of them all that appeal to me and excite me. But, if I am honest with myself, these dreams are kind of a smoke screen, a diversion.
From what?
My impossible dreams end up being a way that I prevent myself from envisioning and following other dreams that have a better chance of actually coming true.
That’s the downside of the “impossible” dream.
Allow ALL of your dreams.
I’m in no way suggesting that you should abandon your dreams that seem impossible.
What I am advising you to do is to deepen and broaden your inner listening.
Sure, play around in your mind with how cool it would be to climb Mt. Everest and then listen even more. If you truly want to climb Mt. Everest, start to take steps (even little, tiny steps) toward that aspiration. For example, you might sign up for climbing lessons or begin taking longer and longer hikes in rugged terrains.
If, however, upon considering this dream a little more fully, you decide that you don’t actually want to climb Mt. Everest, there are bound to be other dreams waiting in the proverbial wings of your mind that yearn to be heard.
These might be dreams that seem unlikely and challenging, but they’re things that you really want to do in the near future and not in some different lifetime. These are the dreams that tend to be hidden by the “impossible” ones.
This is the place where you can begin to change your life in phenomenal ways. This is where you get to be the inspiring example…if you choose to listen to and follow your desired dreams.
Release the blocks and follow the dreams of your choosing.
As you deepen and broaden your inner listening, pay attention to the blocks that you notice. These blocks are often the reason why many of us fixate on the “impossible” dreams we don’t necessarily want to come true and ignore the dreams that we do long to experience.
It can seem far less painful to while away spare moments envisioning yourself at the top of Mt. Everest (when you don’t literally want to make a climb like that) than it is to take the risk to go for a dream that you actually want to manifest.
The “impossible” dreams mask and help us avoid those other dreams along with the the worries and fears that are standing in the way of any movement toward them. The best way to release the blocks to the dreams you’d truly like to experience is to recognize them.
Acknowledge it when you deem yourself to be too cash-strapped/untalented/unskilled/unattractive/lazy/uncoordinated, etc. to be or do this thing that is calling out to you. Recognize the thoughts and beliefs that you are holding onto that make this desired dream of yours seem so painfully impossible you don’t want to even fully admit to the dream.
Notice these thoughts and beliefs and love yourself anyway. Keep this desired dream alive anyway.
Challenge yourself to come up with one action you could take in the next two weeks that would move you a bit closer to this dream. You don’t have to map out an extensive plan for how you will get from where you are to where you aspire to be. Just devise one thing that will point you in a direction that feels oriented toward your desired dream.
Next, congratulate yourself for this big step and keep challenging yourself to take another and another and another.
There is no such thing as impossible– not when you listen to the dreams that mean the most to you and give yourself permission (fears or not) to go for them.
