I’m certain most of my dreams are like everyone else’s in that I’m dreaming of a good life, fun happy times, maybe something I’m looking forward to doing. In these dreams I’m feeling good, radiant even and I don’t feel like there is any of this normal stress I feel usually happening. My body even looks good you know? It is the kind of dream where worry, bills, jerk bosses are not allowed. It is the kind of dream though you wake up from and wonder why life can’t really be like that instead of this stressed out, overwhelming, right it’s only Tuesday kind of feeling. Yeah, reality sucks.
It is so tempting to just brush off dreams as something non-sensible and unrealistic. Oh sure it would be lovely to sit on a beach instead of getting up to go to work! Seriously who would not trade what their meeting agenda looks like for that? Reality often takes the glimmer off most shiny things pretty quickly it seems, especially when it comes to those things we believe are out of our reach. I believe our dreams, even those ones we think are unrealistic and non-sensible are actually telling us something much deeper than we just need a day off. They are also more than distractions and momentary glimpses of a different life. I believe dreams are insights of our own wisdom and the things we should be really pursuing in our life. Let’s face it, we were not made to work inside ugly cubicles in front of computer screens wishing our life away until retirement or 5 PM.
I don’t believe that anyway.
So what if that dream of a beach house were obtainable? Why isn’t ? Of course my bank account says that’s not possible or the fact we need health insurance provided through work but why really beyond that is the reason? Often I have found the person saying no the most to my dreams is myself. I used to really call myself out on it too where I was just being utterly ridiculous in thinking something like that could be possible in my life. Seriously, dreams of fancy free lifestyles were just not my lifestyle because I had bills to pay, a job to focus on and other adult things to consider. Alice in Wonderland type of stuff was for kids and I was wasting my time giving it a moment’s thought in my busy day.
The truth was though, the nagging feeling I was missing something kept coming up. It wasn’t the fact we didn’t live by the beach and I didn’t have to work so hard but rather so much bigger. Beyond the surface of what I brushed off as non-sensible was my own mind’s wisdom telling me I needed change in my life. It was a message that there is more to life than just working and paying the bills. I deserved to be happy, feel fulfilled and have a good life. I also needed to find the way to make that possible and if it came with a beach house that was a pleasant bonus.
A big element of living more naturally is learning to listen to ourselves. Once we clear away the garbage of what is holding us back and dig just beneath the surface we realize we have a lot to say too. It takes courage to let go of limiting beliefs because for a long time they have kept us safe in the land of no and with reason we can rely on. When something goes wrong in our life or isn’t fully what we need for fulfillment we can blame something other than ourselves too. It is comforting in this space but it was leaving me wanting more from life. I was no longer satisfied just doing what I was supposed to do and surviving on the subjectivity of value others placed on me.
When I got to this point of realizing how much I was trading my life for a lifestyle that didn’t represent my dreams my dreams got louder. I had unlocked the wisdom of my dreams to realize it was telling me more than just I needed a pleasant scenery watching beach sunsets. I needed a life, my life to be specific in reality that was allowing me to be me. I wanted to feel alive, happy, fulfilled, comfortable and secure. I wanted success based on my own definition. Dreams should be larger than life and the more I unpacked mine I realized how true that saying really is.
Our own natural wisdom speaks to us most in our dreams because that’s where it can get our attention most of the time. We certainly don’t have enough time in our day most days to dream so it is at night when this voice finally gets a chance to speak. Do you listen to that voice or just think it was an Alice in Wonderland dream moment? For me, I believe our dreams are untapped wisdom wrapped up in sometimes crazy dreams that make no sense at all. Yet learning to listen to our mind opens up that wisdom of what is really missing in our life and how to get on the right path towards it.
What I have learned as I progress in what it means to live more naturally is our dreams are a big part of the journey. They become a map of visions for what is truly possible and what is in our heart that we need. It is not always easy to take the steps necessary in building those dreams into reality but I believe it is a necessity that honors our own wisdom and actually does make dreams come true.
How my own dreams have unfolded into reality has led me to take the steps necessary to start my own business, change our family lifestyle to bring out more of what feels good in my day and looking happily to a future. I still work in corporate America and I still pay bills, need insurance and all of that but my motivation is bigger now. I no longer see today as just the way life is and instead see it as part of the journey for where I want to be – the place where my dreams spoke and I listened. There’s also plans for a beach house.
If you’re ready to listen to your dreams, visit me at dragonspitapothecary.com