This is the year for your dream

by Noelle Sterne

“Next week,” my friend promised, “I’ll set up my studio and start painting.” That was last August, and at every one of our monthly lunch dates she repeated this intention. Her studio was still piled high with old Christmas decorations, college banners, and outgrown kids’ toys.

I understood. After all, it took many “next weeks” and “next years” for me to reach my Dream of writing and publishing. What Dream have you promised yourself? What Dream has been poking at you, itching like a gnat bite that won’t go away?

Denying Our Dream

When we deny our Dream, it affects all of us. Not expressing our creativity changes our body chemistry and immune system. We may not only get sick but also become resentful, bored, frustrated, stuck, and self-hating.

Jesus had very wise words for denying our Dream:

If you bring forth what is within you, what you have will save you.

If you do not have that within you, what you do not have within you [will] kill you. (Apocryphal Gospel of Thomas, no 70).

But illness or unpleasant temperament shouldn’t be main reasons to pursue your Dream. Instead, when you do, you’ll feel more enthusiastic, excited, and joyful. You’ll feel like your fulfilling your purpose.

Negative Messages

But when you finally confess to your Dream, objections appear almost instantly from yourself or others:

You shouldn’t.
You can’t.
It costs too much.
You’ll never make any money at it.
It’s too hard.
It will take too much time.
You are/will be too old.
No one in our family ever did that.
Your children/partner/parents/job/dog/front lawn will suffer.

Forgive Them . . . and Yourself

Realize that such negatives probably come from your own or other people’s sense of inadequacy. They may even envy you for pursuing your Dream. Forgive their statements. And forgive yourself too for denying your Dream for so long:

I forgive them for their outlooks.
I forgive myself for my lack of confidence.
I forgive myself for what I labeled as wasted.
All my experiences have been perfect (see Martha Smock, “No Other Way”).
My Dream is implanted in me by God.

Spiritual teacher Catherine Ponder (Pray and Grow Rich) assures us, “Your deepest desires are God’s for you.” God’s will, explains Unity author and teacher Eric Butterworth (Discover the Power Within You), “is God seeking to express Himself as you.”

Admit Your Fear

As you acknowledge your Dream, you may feel fearful about taking the steps, and this is understandable. The Bible tells us that even Moses, Joshua, and Jesus had fears about their missions. Your fears, though, are friends in disguise. They impel you forward. Reverse those negative messages and look at it this way: you’re being told there’s an infinity to deserve. In my own fears about writing and publishing, I continuously return to these affirmations:

I have enough time, energy, interest, money, and cooperation from everyone to pursue my Dream.
Following my Dream harms no one.
I deserve my Dream.
God guides me in fulfilling my Dream.

Visualize and Declare

Next, imagine your Dream, as if it’s already here, as Seth (The Nature of Personal Reality), Shakti Gawain (Creative Visualization), and other teachers suggest. Picture in your mind, like a painting or movie. the life that fulfills your Dream. Feel it. Watch it, and boldly state what you envision: “I am now a full-time interior designer.” “I now own my own real estate firm.” “I now am a publishing writer.” It has often been said that the mind doesn’t know the difference between what is imagined and what is “real.” So use your mind.

Take the Steps

As you continue to visualize, ask your Inner Guide what the first steps are to actualize your Dream—and take them. My friend Charlotte always loved classical dance, but she knew it was much too late to audition for the New York City Ballet. Together we worked out steps like these:

Make a physical space for your Dream activities, even if it means first shoveling out the spare room. Charlotte and I devoted a whole weekend to tackling her junk room.
Identify and write down your purpose, feelings, and outcomes of following your Dream. Charlotte wrote: “Use my passion and love for ballet to express myself, encourage others, and feel I am contributing, sharing, and giving.”
Make a list of the activities you need to fulfill your Dream. Charlotte’s list included researching ballet blogs (yes, many exist!), contacting others she knew who were active in ballet circles, observing a class, taking a class, assisting a dance teacher, bringing her kids and their friends to ballet performances, and starting a blog for late-blooming balletophiles.
Decide on a schedule of actions and hours/days/moments to devote to your Dream—even if it’s a single thing and fifteen minutes a day. Charlotte dedicated an hour a day while her children were in school.
Visit places to learn more: Charlotte visited libraries, rehearsal studios, and classes.
Talk to others in the field. Charlotte interviewed a dancer, a teacher, a choreographer, and several students.
Offer help: Charlotte offered help in classes and with costumes, makeup, and promotion. She also created lectures and articles about dancers.
Decide how you’ll inform others about your Dream and contributions: a vita, video, essay on why you love your Dream activities, what you’d like to do specifically, and a list of your helping skills. At present, Charlotte is working on her own blog.
Enjoy your activities and Dream!

Claim Your Dream

Whatever you choose to do, remember that your Dream is God-given and God-supported. Know, as Unity teacher Mary Kupferle reassures us (God Will See You Through), God does see you through. Listen to your Inner Guide for guidance and the next right steps. You have the strength, determination, wisdom, love, and deservingness to actualize your Dream.

This is the year for you to live your Dream!