Dream Catching
I have found that as we get older and get caught up in “adulting” - working jobs which we may or may not enjoy, paying bills, and providing for ourselves and our families - we can lose sight of our dreams. These may be things we enjoyed doing when we were younger, ideas we had about what our lives would be like, or even something we’ve been wanting to do for a while which we’ve struggled to make time for.
Getting back to our dreams and putting forth effort to manifest them is something worth doing. For one, dreams provide us with useful information about what is important to us. They help us to connect with the larger vision of our lives and can align us with our sense of purpose. At some point in our lives, we may have talked ourselves out of dreaming or allowed someone else to do that to us.
So often, what feels like being stuck or lost is actually being disconnected from what we desire most. Some of the work I do with clients is around remembering, exploring, and identifying dreams, and creating paths to actualize them. We can start doing this right now, right where we are.
Some ways to connect with your dreams:
Make a List. Gather some paper and your favorite writing instrument. Make a list of things that come to mind when you think about dreams. You can just list them, or you can be more detailed: What have you always wanted to do, feel or be? What would you focus on full-time if you could? What are the biggest things you want to accomplish in this lifetime? What do you want to be known for? What do you want your legacy to be?
Search the Past. Think about something you used to do that brought you pleasure or joy. Were there hobbies you had that you fantasized about taking to the next level? What has supported you during difficult times? Look for clues in your personal history which can tell you something about what you value most. Are there still pieces of that dream in your life now, however small? For example, at some point you may have dreamed of opening your own dance studio. Even if you abandoned that dream along the way, maybe you still take dance classes or have been doing some research about different forms of movement. Notice what has remained in your life over the years.
Write Your Perfect Day. Writing out the story of a perfect day can bring up a lot of material about what we dream of. Not only do old dreams resurface as we are writing and envisioning, but in doing this activity we are in the process of creating a different narrative of ourselves and our lives. Treat this as an experiment and see what comes up. Start your story from the time you wake up in the morning. Where do you wake up? What do your surroundings look like? What is the first thing that you do? How do you spend your day? Who or what do you settle down with as the day ends? What do you hope for when you go to bed that night?
Look to Your Dreams! We can get in touch with our hopes and desires through our actual dreams. Keep something to write your dreams down on close to where you sleep, and write what you remember as soon as you wake up. Start a dream journal. Try this for a week and see what you learn. If you have trouble remembering your dreams, set the intention when you go to sleep for expanding your awareness of your dreams and being receptive to what they tell you.
What are your dreams?
If you would like to create a process around taking steps to manifest your dreams, I look forward to connecting over a session.