Dreams and change
Recurring dreams
I have a series of recurring dreams - that come unbidden in the night - so much so that a good friend of mine while she was studying a psychology degree created a chart of them (and by the way friend - I am still waiting for you to send a photo of that chart!). Here are some of the common themes of the dreams:
Travel anxiety - I am at the airport and realise that I have forgotten my passport, or luggage (or both). Sometimes I can’t get to the airport at all - although I have had that one less and less over the years.
General anxiety - ranging from being naked out in public to teeth falling out.
Time travel - somehow I possess the ability to go through portals (often a puddle - similar to those in the Magician’s Nephew) to a different time or place.
The movie dream - these ones have elaborate plots that almost always involve myself (with or without others) being chased as we seek some sort of item.
Escher stairs - these involve me being trapped in flights of stairs that have no end - usually in a hospital for some reason.
Water - sometimes it’s a boat, sometimes it’s a bridge, and often I find myself trying to swim somewhere while trying to keep my important documents dry - because for some reason they are in a handbag over my shoulder.
Creatures - that I can’t get rid of.
Doors - that swing open and allow unwanted guests in - no matter how often I try to close and lock them.
The house I grew up in.
I am sure that someone reading this will tell me that they can interpret the dreams - which sounds interesting to me. And no worries if you can’t - I have made peace with my recurring dreams - and these days they amuse me more than anything else - the ways that the brain has for working through whatever issues it is turning over on any given day.
Day Dreams.
The English language is interesting. I often muse about how the same word is used for the stories that my brain makes up and shows me at night, as well as for the hopes and aspirations that I conjure up for myself. Sometimes I feel that the use of the same word for both is deceptive - as it gives the impression that the dreams we have at night, and our hopes and aspirations are equally out of our control, out of our grasp, and less important than “real life” and our day to day existence.
A few years ago, my sisters and I read the book We Should All be Millionaires by Rachel Rodgers. It was exhilarating, and I am about to revisit it again. In one of the chapters, she talked about dreaming. After one of my sisters read the book, she told me that she had a hard time dreaming - because she felt a bit guilty about it. Should she really be dreaming about expensive holidays when that money could be going into an investment or college fund?
I have been thinking about this myself recently, as I am having a similar dilemma over what feels like frivolity - dreaming about expensive holidays and fun adventures, when I too should be putting money towards retirement, or knowing that there are worthy causes out there to support.
Often, when I find myself dreaming - whether it be dreams of fun adventures I want to have, or the dreams of the unconventional life that I want; dreams of that writing retreat I want to organise and host, or dreams of pitching my podcast to bigger media outlets; I find that the dreams are interrupted - by guilt, by doubts, by fears, and by a million reasons why I should not be dreaming let alone doing those things. I have spoken to a number of people who have had similar experiences, and as a result, taking time to dream can feel trivial - particularly in the face of real important things that need to be done.
And.
I believe in the power of dreams - particularly when we want to create change - but really when we want to create anything! So many of the things I have created - including this blog, books I have written, my podcast, trips I have taken - and even my brand new card deck - started as an idea, as a dream of something I wanted to bring to life. And it is no coincidence that even our great leaders speak of the dreams that they have - for the world. Dreaming is powerful, and it is important.
Dreaming is the heart of creativity. It is a way to visualise the thing that I want to bring into the world. I have found that if I do not take the time to dream and vision before I create, then I end up creating someone else’s vision. Whether I intend to or not.
Instead of looking to my dreams for inspiration, I get caught up in the “shoulds” and how other people are doing it - when the truth is there is often no right or wrong way to create - just a comparison to what we think it should be - which is often based on someone else’s vision.
One of the things that I have worked to change over the past few years is my relationship to my dreams - particularly the ones that I create for myself. So many of us forget how to dream as we grow up - sometimes because it wasn’t safe to dream; other times because real life felt more important, and so we didn’t see it as useful, and so we don’t take the time to do it. Consequently - we fall out of the habit of dreaming, and working towards those dreams.
I had definitely fallen out of the habit over the years, so when I wanted to start dreaming again, I built my dream practice the way I have built so many things - I started small.
I allowed myself to dream small - and I gave myself permission to bring those small dreams into the world.
A blanket for my niece and my nephew.
Crocheting a positive potato (I’ll send a pic if you REALLY want to know).
Starting this blog (7 years ago!!!!! I still can’t believe it!)
Writing a romance novel.
And I found that once I started to make space for my dreams - it was like a permission slip to my brain - that my dreams were important enough for me to take seriously - and I found that I could dream bigger and bolder.
There are so many things that can lead to change - happenstance, acts of nature, and change imposed by larger authorities. But change can also happen through intention - through dreaming, and then using the dream as the fuel to bring that change to life.
These days I love to take the time to dream - and here are some of the things I have been dreaming of!
Podcast merch
Playing the saxophone
Speaking a second language
Big dreams for my podcast!!
One thing that has changed since I started this blog 7 years ago is my love for dreaming and it’s link to my creativity. Then I dreamed about being able to finish 39 blog posts. Doing that led me to dreaming about writing a book, and starting my podcast, and so many other dreams big and small.
I also have big dreams for the world - something I believe in for all leaders who want to see change - in their communities, in the world, in their businesses. And taking action from the starting place of that dream as fuel. And - I am still dreaming of the trips I want to take - AND of retirement!
I love the changes that come from dreaming. Which is why I continue to make time for it! Speaking of which - I may go and do some right now.
Do you dream?
And do you bring those dreams to life?
If not - you should try it!
What dreams do you have?
Drop in the comments, or email me and I’ll cheer you on!!!
And I send you big love from a small island.