My Dream For My Life
What would be on your collage of images representing what you dreamed your life would be like? Firefighter? Doctor? Rock star? Olympic team? Loving family? World traveler? Money?
Maybe as a child you didn’t have many dreams or you were conditioned to believe dreams and self-determination were for other people, not for you. Many of us fell into what other people thought we should do, felt pressured to achieve for the sake of our family, or had commitments early in life.
It is too late for some dreams
I know I’ll never be a rock star or marry Paul McCartney like the Ouija board predicted when I was twelve. It is also true that some things in life now are better than we could have dreamed!
Forget finances and practical considerations like age and responsibilities. What is your dream for the rest of your life?
What were your childhood dreams for your life? How often did they change?
What were your dreams in your 20’s and by decade until now?
What are the common elements? Helping people? Excitement? Family? Adventure? Fun? Money? Friends? How can you bring some of those into your life now?
What do I need to let go of to make room for the new?
In the late nineties, I was part of organizing a worldwide yoga meditation teacher training program for my teacher Swami Veda. One of the senior teachers became angry and decided to leave the training retreat. The teacher who left was my first teacher and I was in an emotional turmoil, feeling sad and uncertain what to do.
When Swami Veda met with us, he held his hands in front of him in closed fists and said “If you are holding on to your old relationship with her, it is already over. Open your hands and see if there is a possibility of something new. There might be or maybe not. Let go of the old relationship and your ideas of how you want it to be. It is already gone.”
Acknowledging what is already gone is part of courage and clear seeing.
Letting go of what is not possible opens space for what might be. Letting go of shaming ourself for not manifesting earlier dreams opens up our hearts.
Bring your attention into your body, take a few breaths, and inquire.
What do I need to let go of to make room for the new?
What does my heart know?
What do I grieve? What do I long for?
I am opening my hands and letting go of old dreams
I know what I value
I can explore my deepest values and sense into how to bring more into my life
What do I really want in my life this year? Over the next several years?
I can envision my dreams
I can live my dreams
Join us Sunday for this tender exploration and sharing.