(originally posted 10/2016)

I had all these dreams as a child.  Somewhere along the way, though, I stopped.  I stopped doing the things that brought me joy.  I stopped believing in all the possibilities the world offered.  I can pinpoint some specific instances, but mostly it was a slow drift away from joy toward complacency.  Unfortunately, I’m telling a story that belongs to many of us.

2008 was a big year for me…lots of turmoil and drama.  But on the other side of that turmoil and drama, I was able to start dreaming again.  Those dreams led me down a path I hadn’t imagined possible.

I’m grateful that since then, I haven’t stopped dreaming.  I developed a practice of setting intentions and working with the world to make sure I had a life I enjoyed living.  I wanted to make certain that my dreams were honored.  I worked hard to show up and be open to what ever was needed to turn those dreams into reality.

A few years ago, I learned to teach yoga.  I approached teacher training as a study opportunity to deepen my own personal practice; I had no desire at the time to ever teach yoga.  Truly…you can ask Lydie if you don’t believe me. Even though teaching wasn’t my dream at the time, it didn’t take long for me to shift my dreams to accommodate my practice.  Then, I was able to keep dreaming of ways to share my practice and its gifts with others.

I’d wanted to host a retreat for several years, so I decided last January that 2016 was it.  I look back on that action now as one of the best I’ve made.  I spent a weekend in early August surrounded by some amazing women UNPLUGGING from the day-to-day, finding space and nurturing self.

Recently, I made the decision to go back to school to become a massage therapist.  At first, I didn’t share it with anyone.  I took a few days to just think.  I floated it out to my Mom.  She immediately responded that I’d been talking about it for years.  Her reply reminded me of the first time I brought it up in conversation…22 years ago.  So I’m typing this on a study break from preparing for my first anatomy and physiology.

When is the last time you dreamed about something you wanted to do?  Did you take action?  I ask because this is the lesson I’ve learned:  dreaming is not enough.  It’s fine to dream those great big dreams…but then you have to get off your ass and get to work.

Those dreams I listed didn’t just magically appear because I did a vision board, hung it on my wall, and stared at if for a few months.  (I do love vision boards.  They are an effective tool, but not all alone.) Those dreams came to fruition after months (sometimes years) of study, planning, writing, and taking the other actions necessary.

I think the Universe (or Source, God, Creator, Goddess…whatever your choice) meets us in the middle.  But you have to step up and have some skin in the game.  That’s where the work comes in.  I don’t mean back-breaking, I’m-dying-over-here work.  I mean persistent work toward your dream, no matter what it is.   I mean having a positive attitude as we step into that work.  This is often where we get sideways.  We go full-force and hit a snag…oops, there’s the end of that.  We make the wrong assumption that if it’s so hard, maybe we shouldn’t be doing it.  We drop the ball, and maybe never pick it back up.  So the Universe sees that as a lack of commitment from us.  And it is.  Perseverance is an underrated trait these days, but it’s a dream driver.

What’s your dream?  Write it down.  Now, write down a list of what you have to do for that dream to come true.  See…you have a starting point.  What’s your next move?  The Universe is waiting…

Back to my dream now…