If you can dream it...

Living the dream... 

Usually that's said with sarcasm. But isn't living the dream what we all want? 

And... most of us slog through our days, far from the dreams we assumed we'd achieve.  

What about you? Do you still have unfulfilled dreams?  

I'm a product of the 70s, and perhaps consequently, a sucker for a great guitar solo. But not just any guitar solo. I'd argue that the best of the best is Frank Zappa's Watermelon in Easter Hay from Joe's Garage. 

Before Frank launches into the solo, however, we hear from the Central Scrutinizer: 

Joe has just worked himself into an imaginary frenzy... 
He begins to feel depressed... he knows the end is near... 
He has realized at last that imaginary guitar notes and imaginary vocals exist only in the mind of the imaginer. 
And ultimately, who gives a fuck anyway???... 

My central scrutinizer, the one I call my inner mean girl, what some call their inner critic or gremlin, can stop me flat. 

Usually when we put our dreams aside, it's because life gets in the way, or we're afraid of what others might think, that we'll be judged, or that we're not good enough, not capable enough. We scrutinize our dreams, think they're ridiculous, or that we're ridiculous, and give them up, because, really, who gives a fuck anyway? There was a time when my "who gives a fuck" was "why bother... nobody cares... why should I care...?"


We're our own creative force... 

I go to a little spiritual center on the occasional Sunday, an affiliate of the Center for Spiritual Living and based on the principles of Science of Mind. This year's theme is built around the book, The 12 Conditions of a Miracle, about creating miracles in our everyday lives, and ultimately, about keeping dreams alive and making them real. 

I got goosebumps last Sunday when the guest singer, Michelle Chappel, sang another 70s classic, and my past, present and future collided into a jumbled bundle of emotion. I thought about dreams unrealized, maybe dreams never dreamed because I didn't know I could dream... but I also felt hopeful, about dreams now unfolding.  

Find your gold... 

What kid didn't want to win a golden ticket? Who doesn't want to win the proverbial gold? 

Hold your breath

Make a wish, count to three...

Take a look and you'll see
Into your imagination...

If you want to view paradise
Simply look around and view it
Anything you want to, do it
Wanna change the world?
There's nothing to it

There is no life I know
To compare with pure imagination
Living there, you'll be free
If you truly wish to be

Nothing like a kid in a candy store, except a kid in a magic candy factory. Talk about dreams! Pure Imagination, sung by Gene Wilder in the original Willy Wonka, is as magical and hopeful today as it was then. 

Mind candy...

We all have dreams. As I wrote this post, so many songs about dreams came to mind. Clearly, our dreams are important. They're in part what gives our lives meaning. Another favorite: The Impossible Dream from Man from La Mancha. Or how about this from Pinocchio? 

When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are... Anything your heart desires will come to you...

What do you wish for, long for, hope for? What do you still want to realize before you leave this mortal plane? Sometimes it's as simple, albeit not easy, as shifting perspective, of seeing what's in front of you in new light, feeling grateful for the good you do have, and making the connection to your dream. 

Sometimes, however, there might be very real actions you can take to start living those dreams. 

Now might be the time to check in and see what dreams are still worth pursuing, and then move that dream from the mind of the imaginer to your own real life. Create your own golden ticket by taking a step or two every day to make it happen. 

Because when the end is near, you're the only one you have to answer to. It's your life you'll look back on. You're the only one who has to give a fuck. 

Dream it. Do it. No regrets. 



If you like this post, or this blog resonates with you in any way, please feel free to share it, comment below, or send me a message. I'm also available for one-on-one coaching—you can find out more here. 

The answer is gratitude

Sombrio Beach, BC

A fresh start, a clean slate, a new year... Don't we all have high hopes for the year ahead when the clock strikes midnight and a new year begins?

I do. However, few of us have an easy time during the holidays, which largely culminate on New Year's Day. Family dynamics, our financial circumstances, our health, and so much more impact how we feel on this first day out. 

That's why it helps me to see this day as a continuation; while it is a new day, New Year's Day is, in reality, a 'next' day in a continuum. 

But today, as another day starts and this new year begins, I'm worried. Mindful that worry has power, I know feeling gratitude is key. And... 

Worry activates a future we don't want...

There's a lot of noise in the world, and there's little I can do about it. Yet, my worry list continually repeats the negatives from the inputs of the day: 

• our currently precarious economy, a government shutdown, a potential wall and rampant isms
• increased property crime in my 'hood, and how those tasked to protect and serve don't, won't, or can't
• the hardships so many currently experience (and how my usual mantra, "I feel with loving compassion..." isn't appropriate for all circumstances right now)
• what happens to others because of bias 
• a seeming lack of kindness, consideration, and civility everywhere

I know worry doesn't serve me or the world. I can't project the future; I'm making assumptions and projecting. Imagining the worst.  

Why is it so hard to imagine the best???  

Socially, we're conditioned to imagine the worst, but it's deeper than that. Genetically, worry and fear saved us. Today, though, life is rarely life threatening (for those of us with privilege). (An aside: imagining is an important tool, however; read The Gift of Fear and The Unthinkable -- books I highly recommend to everyone.) 

Be intentional with your words

Words have power. They can guide us and help us stay on track. One approach I take is choosing an annual word to represent where I want to focus each year, and this helps me imagine the best. 

My word for 2016 was invest. And then, not long after the start of the year, I was laid off. Suddenly, investment looked very different than I initially intended, and I re-interpreted that word to invest in myself -- internal confidence, skill building, and building community. 

In 2017, my words were expansiveness and spaciousness, and I see how these played out, although again, differently than initially intended. I started two new jobs, took on new challenges, drove cross-country, built new networks, furthered community, shifted more limiting beliefs, and developed practices to support positive change. 

Vancouver Island

In 2018, my word was deliberate -- focusing on experiences, not 'stuff', learning my new job, and practicing self-care. I tracked my spending, and in most ways, spent less. I changed my diet, lost 12 pounds, and at the end of the year, my blood work was the best its been in years. I went to more concerts, saw more shows, spent more time with friends, and mostly stayed true to my focus and beliefs. 

Words are my framework; they motivate me, support me, re-engage me. I've made countless changes in my life in part because of using words deliberately, including creating a solid foundation with my partner. We have done the work, and we've landed in a good place, with a future we can look forward to.  

Now it's time to reap the rewards of that work. So I'm leaning toward manifest or fruition as my word(s) for 2019.

But first... gratitude. Gratitude is my keyword. It underpins everything else. It's at my essence and is essential for managing life's curve balls. Because we may not achieve everything we've planned for 2019; we still have challenges ahead and all those worries I mentioned. There's so much we can't control.  

Changing the dialogue...  

I believe consciousness is cause. I also believe we're all capable and creative. And it's up to me to direct my inner dialogue away from that which doesn't help. 

So, here goes. 2019 is the year I: 

• deepen my belief that everything works for me, even if it doesn't always seem that way 
• repair my relationship with money, making that work better for me, too
• get my house in order, literally and figuratively
• own my worth--not just know it, but own it, and accept nothing less
• write more
• ... and try harder to believe in miracles... 

I recently heard the questions, "What miracles would you love to experience this year? What would be an outrageous good and transform your world?" I'm going to ponder these for the next week or so and see what shows up. 

The key to manifesting miracles is gratitude. Living from gratitude makes our days look brighter and more seems possible. Add in grace, compassion, and forgiveness, and it's a mixture for deeper satisfaction.  

I don't want for anything--I have a warm, comfortable home, a loving partner who's a staunch companion, a good job with a steady paycheck, a satisfying social network, and I'm generally healthy in mind, body, and spirit. 

That's a lot to be grateful for. And for now, that's really all I need to focus on. Because with gratitude, all things are possible.