What if you're already there, the culmination of your dreams is already written in your calendar and all that's left for you to do is reach the date and celebrate? How would you show up in your life if this was true?
That's the question I've been asking myself. I might suggest that you do the same. The answers are revelatory, maybe even revolutionary.
If you've been reading the blog for a while, you know my life's lesson is to learn the difference between creating and allowing, to make space for my soul to return to the boundless abundance that surrounds us all and receive with grace. This question--how do I show up when I know my dreams are already coming true--is another chapter in my school book. Same lesson, new homework. Draw a picture of this life...what does it look like? How do you feel? How do you act? What do you think?
Last nigh I was pondering the actions I "needed" to take to continue moving forward and feeling the knife edge of panic slipping through the back of my skull. I'm not doing enough. There's not enough time to do all the things. How can I be sure I'm doing the right things? I'd better do more things, work harder, stay up later, hustle harder. After all, I've got to chase my dreams.
As the panic built and I felt my body and soul stiffening, I pulled up my homework from another lesson (wherever I go, there I am). I took note of that feeling and stopped. And I asked...what is here for me to see? What lesson is this resistance offering me?
The answer was another question: what if you are already there? What if you don't need to DO anything? Would you still feel this panic if that were true?
Of course not! Though the fact remains, I do need to DO things. Inspired action is what makes dreams come true. Sitting around and waiting for my fairy godmother to show up isn't going to cut it. Meditation, visualization, manifestation--these are all pieces of the puzzle. But action is the glue that puts the pieces together.
The key, though, isn't WHAT I do, which is where my old brain wants to focus. My new brain is getting more comfortable with the idea that what matters is HOW I do it. Not just in the action itself, but in every way. How I take action is how I'm showing up in this world. It is directly related to how I feel, how I interact with myself, Source, and others, my thoughts and beliefs.
As I considered my thoughts in this new light, I was forced to admit...I've been chasing my dreams. Racing after them, frantically trying to catch them, like they were demented squirrels hellbent on evading me at every turn. This is the energy that's driven me in the past--this idea that dreams must be grabbed and held tightly, lest they get away.
This energy will lead to action, without a doubt. But what kind of action? Frantic, fear-based, mistrusting action. Grasping, clinging, hyper-focused action. The kind of action that slinks up behind you while you're busy making to-do lists and slips a knife in the back of your skull. In other words, NOT the kind of action you would take if you knew, with full faith, that your dreams are already on their way to you.
How does the energy of action, and thereby all other energy, shift when you do believe this? When you can see that dreams don't need to be chased; they are headed your direction? They don't need to be grasped; they are indisputably and indelibly yours. When you feel that you simply need to pass the time, pass the days on the calendar with inspired action, until they arrive? How does this kind of action feel? Guided, peaceful, easy, confident.
There's deep magic here. Your feelings are created by your thoughts, and in turn they drive your actions. In order to take easy, peaceful, confident action, you need to think easy, peaceful, confident thoughts. That's how it all comes together, how the energy you bring to reaching your dreams--creating/chasing versus believing/allowing--changes everything.
How terribly ironic that the more we hustle, the more we chase our dreams, the more our energy pushes them away. No one likes to be chased, clung to, harangued. Not even dreams. Instead, we all want to be welcomed home with open arms. Even dreams are seeking someone who is always expecting them and leaves the porch light on, unconcerned with what day they arrive, full of faith that they'll be along at the perfect moment.
How beautifully ironic that the best way to reach our dreams is not to reach for them, but to rest peacefully, with open arms, knowing that, at the perfect moment, our dreams will run straight into them.
It's these thoughts that bring feelings of peace, ease, grace, possibility. I'm already there. My dreams are written in my future. There's no need for panic here; my dreams aren't running away from me, they are racing towards me. These beliefs engender the peaceful energy that allows dreams to arrive right on time and dissipates the frantic feelings that have us scrambling after them like a lunatic.
Oh, but the action. Remember, your fairy godmother doesn't work here. So how do we take action from this place of peace? It's easier--and harder--than you might think. I call it "inspired action." You can tell an inspired action from a frantic one by the way it feels, and the company it keeps.
Inspired action feels "right." It is peaceful and easy, in the sense that it's never something you hate doing. It might be intimidating or cause your ego to scream in fear, but your heart and soul feel deliciously aligned with this kind of action. It is also immediate, a step you already know and could start, if not finish, today.
Inspired action is soul-driven, possibly even guided. You may receive the idea for these actions during prayer, meditation, or at other times when the veil between you, your highest self, and the Universe is thin and you are quiet enough to hear these voices. It may defy logic, but if you give it the "magic wand" test, you'll get a yes.
(The magic wand question is: does this __________ (purchase, person, action, inaction, relationship, decision, etc) lead me in the direction I want to go?)
In contrast, actions taken when you "chase" your dreams feel frantic, desperate. There's a sense of urgency--if I don't do this NOW, my dreams will slip away. They often feel like drudgery. Worse, these actions may be in discord with your values or go directly against your heart; these are never the actions that allow your dreams easy access. If it feels heavy, disheartening, or draining, you can rest assured that you're locking the door and turning off the porch light. Not a good way to welcome your dreams home!
These actions are often driven by the logical mind and external expectations. They represent "the next step" in a progression dictated by supposed rationality and societal expectations. And they run in packs; these actions are often part of a long-range plan where you have mapped out every step along the way to your dream, taking complete control over every variable and determining every outcome along the way. Or so you tell yourself. Reality check: how does that usually work out for you? Mmhm.
I love the term "co-creation," the idea that you can work in concert with a force greater, wider, and wiser than yourself to create exactly what you want in your life. This is what inspired action leads to, co-creation. You can create things on your own. I know, I've done it. I'm sure you have, too. But let's ask another what if question (my favorite!): what if the things you create on your own are miniscule and meaningless compared to what you COULD create if you partnered with the Universe?
What if Richard Branson was right when he said "if your dreams don't scare you, they are too small?" What if dreaming huge dreams and then living as if they have already been written in your book is the secret?
I think it is. So this week I'm working to remember what my soul already knows and my human mind is just beginning to understand. That I can dream huge dreams and the Universe will step up alongside me to see them created. That, in fact, these dreams are already created, that I am already there. That there's no need to panic, I can simply take the step in front of me today, because it is leading me to a place I'm already bound to go. That I can leave the porch light on and relax, my dreams will be home soon.