| "I will be an astronaut." "I'm going to be a movie | | | | but for at least the next few minutes - and |
| star." "I want to be a President." "I'll have my own | | | | hopefully longer than that! - I'm going to |
| chocolate factory!" | | | | encourage you to let go of those beliefs and allow |
| What were your childhood dreams? | | | | yourself to imagine the biggest dream you |
| We still have the ability to dream big, It doesn't | | | | perhaps can. Let go of all the "yeah buts." Let |
| matter how old or young, not important where | | | | yourself drift back to that uninhibited dreaming |
| we live, and no matter what our family said and | | | | space you had as a child. We're not concerned |
| educated us to believe. However, most of us | | | | about whether or not these dreams ever come |
| need to clear the cobwebs off our resemblance. | | | | true. Right now we just want to renew the |
| And that's just what we're preparing to do. | | | | dreaming aptitude. |
| Why is dreaming so significant anyway? Dreams | | | | Take a moment now and enter your |
| play a major role in determining the grandeur or | | | | dream-world to imagine your life in 5-years? Let |
| creativeness of life. You've heard of the "glass | | | | go of the rationalizations. Remember, you're |
| ceiling." Dreams are the glass ceiling we create for | | | | dreaming, tapping into your imagination, creating a |
| our own life. We can make a ceiling right above | | | | vision of your ideal life. So if you want to dream |
| our head or somewhere out at the end of the | | | | yourself into a vacation home in Hawaii, don't |
| Milky Way! | | | | worry about how much it will cost or where the |
| When that glass ceiling is very low, in many cases | | | | money will come from. If you want to dream |
| is because we've allowed our dreams to be | | | | yourself into a new career, don't worry about |
| shaped for us, either by others or by our | | | | your lack of education, or your age, or an |
| unconscious mind. Do you know someone who | | | | economic downturn. If you want to dream |
| chose a career because their parents "suggested" | | | | yourself into the perfect relationship, don't worry |
| it? Do you know someone that stays at a job | | | | that you are currently single. You are imagining, |
| they hate just because it pays the bills? | | | | dreaming, visioning. Let go of constraints, fears |
| Try to think about your own life. How much | | | | doubts. Let go of limiting beliefs. Have fun. Play! |
| space do you have until you reach your glass | | | | If you're stuck, some questions to ask about |
| ceiling? In which parts of your life you could use | | | | your life five years from now are: Where am I |
| some dream expansion? | | | | living? What is my vocation? Am I married? Do I |
| Your imagination needs to be used often or it will | | | | have children? What kind of car do I drive? What |
| waste away. In the same way that you keep | | | | is my health like? What do I do for fun? Where |
| your heart and lungs healthy by walking, or your | | | | do I travel? |
| biceps strong by lifting weights, you need to | | | | If you have trouble letting go of the doubts try |
| exercise your dream muscle to keep it in good | | | | feeling your dream. In five-years, how do you |
| shape. But before you can really begin working | | | | feel when you wake up in the morning? How do |
| out your dream muscle, you need to know what | | | | you feel when you are working, playing, traveling. |
| gets in the way. | | | | As you feel into your life, you may begin to get |
| We all have limiting beliefs. Some we may be | | | | glimpses of what this ideal life looks like. If so, let |
| aware of. Others may lie hidden beneath the | | | | yourself drift deeper into those glimpses. Let |
| radar of our awareness. Read through the | | | | yourself explore the scenes that are lit up in your |
| following list of beliefs slowly. Ask yourself if any | | | | imagination. |
| of them seem familiar. Notice how you feel when | | | | Another trick you can try is to imagine someone |
| you read each one. If your body reacts with | | | | else's ideal life. You can dream an ideal life for |
| anxiety or fear - fast heart-rate, shallow | | | | your partner, or child, or a good friend. You can |
| breathing, tightness in the chest or solar plexus, | | | | also try creating the ideal life for a fictional person. |
| etc. - you may have discovered a limiting belief | | | | Become the author of this character's life. Make it |
| that has been hidden within you. | | | | a really juicy life! What would their dream life look |
| I don't have enough money. | | | | like 5- years from now? It's likely that parts of |
| I don't have enough education. | | | | the life you create for them are what you would |
| I don't have the credentials. | | | | like to have in your own. |
| I'm not smart enough. | | | | Still having trouble dreaming? Here are some |
| It will never pay the bills. | | | | other ideas: Make a dream life collage. Ask a good |
| It's never been done before so it probably can't | | | | friend to brainstorm your ideal life with you. |
| be done. | | | | Take some time to write down your five-year |
| It's greedy, or selfish. | | | | dream. Keep the depiction out and visible so you |
| It's not spiritual enough. | | | | can add to it, change it, allow it to grow and |
| It's too risky. | | | | morph as you settle more fully into your ability to |
| People will think I'm crazy. | | | | dream big. But keep your dream to yourself, at |
| I don't have any extra time. | | | | least in the beginning. |
| Some people might be hurt if I do it. | | | | As you start to dream again, your dreams and |
| I might mess it up, or do it wrong. | | | | your ability to dream are fragile. They need to be |
| This is just a small sampling of the limiting beliefs | | | | nurtured and protected. There are very few |
| available for our use. There are hundreds of | | | | people that know how to treat dreams. So if you |
| them, and thousands of variations. Whatever they | | | | must share them, make sure you do so with |
| sound like, whatever form they take, whatever | | | | someone that you trust will treat your dreams |
| specific words they use, limiting beliefs have but | | | | and you with tenderness and love. |
| one purpose and that is to keep you small, to | | | | Next time we'll look at what you can do once you |
| prevent you from dreaming big. | | | | have some big dreams. Until then, dream on! |
| We'll look more at limiting beliefs in future issues | | | | |