How to recapture lost dreams

 “If you dare nothing, then when the day is over, nothing is all you will have gained.”

Neil Gaiman

Everything great starts with a dream. Do you have a DREAM for Life Part II?

If not it’s time to get one. ReCapture an old one. ReDream a new one. The only requirement for dreams is that they must fire you up and make you want to (enthusiastically) leap out of bed in the morning.

Once you’ve got that.

BE ADVISED there’s a possible trouble spot ahead.

It’s where a lot of Dreamers get rerouted, lost, stopped, shut down.

It’s precisely the moment before you get into action and start pursing.

Yep.

It’s human nature to come up with a l-o-n-g list of reasons why dreams can’t be pursued.

It goes like this…

I’m too old. It might not work. It’s ridiculous to consider it at this point in life. It would probably cost too much…can’t afford it. It’s not a good idea. People will think I’m crazy. It’s not the right time. I would need a perfect plan and I don’t have one. I need to think about it some more. I’m not ready. Probably best to forget the whole thing. It will take too long don’t have time.

This is your own fear and resistance talking.

You’re not alone.  This voice is part of the human experience. We all have it. Next time you hear it try a new approach. Instead of listening and taking it seriously, politely say, “thank you” to your chattering brain.

Stay on task Dreamers.

In his new book, “Do the Work” Stephen Pressfield offers great advice, the most effective way to deal with the (potentially) numbing voice of self doubt is to START. He says the key is to, “start before you’re ready.” There is no perfect plan THE PLAN evolves as you go. The twists and turns can’t possibly be foreseen at the beginning…right? Pressfield goes even further and to suggest we replace Ready, Aim, Fire with….Fire. Ready. Aim.

And then…..

Keep going … momentum is building. Momentum is essential because it fuels the continuation of the dreamer showing up and putting one foot in front of the other. This ensures against loss-of-momentum which can leave an opening for the gabby voice of self doubt, fear and resistance to infiltrate the consciousness and stifle….the dream.

Life Part II is meant to be lived meaningfully, with passion and purpose. As women we devote ourselves to supporting and nurturing the dream of others. It’s time to pursue some of your own. So figure out what they are and START chasing them down. If you need help recapturing dreams or creating new ones here’s 10 questions to get you started.

1. What do I LOVE? Finish this sentence, “I love ______”, complete the sentence using an ‘–ing’ verb to make everything present and active. Go deeper….WHY do I love it?
2. When did I believe that anything was possible? What was I doing?
3. When in my life did I feel I could make a difference? What was I doing?
4. What do people thank me for?
5. What makes me happiest? What excites me?
6. Who do I look up to? Who inspires me? Why?
7. What would I do if I could not fail?
8. What do I want to be remembered for? What personal stamp do I want to leave on the world?
9. What did I want to be when you grew up? As well as the obvious look at skills/metaphors that these represent – i.e. pilot (freedom), artist (unbounded creativity), writer (communicating/sharing ideas), Prime Minister (leading others).
10. If I led a revolution what would it be?

“Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.”  Goethe