As a kid I was a big dreamer and I was always doodling those dreams onto paper. Creativity flowed through me. It swirled in my mind, brought a smile to my face and then it would explode out of me with the assistance of a crayon and paper.
I was always drawing, painting and creating and then bringing those creations to life. I learned how to sew so I could bring the outfits I would draw to life for my dolls. I would carry disposable cameras around with me because I saw something that I didn't want to forget and I needed to capture the moment. When computers became a thing (yes, I'm showing my age) I remember sitting there teaching myself how to use pixels to create.
The world was full of possibility and I was in awe of it.
Then I got older and I started going through the hum drum of school, daily life, and the dreaded tasks of adulting.
Those dreams and views of wonder that I was so full of quickly got buried under stress, overwhelm, overthinking and the chaos of parenting.
And in the process of growing up and losing my ability to dream, I lost myself.
Losing yourself is an easy thing to do when you are going nonstop from the moment you wake up, until the moment your head hits the pillow. Throw children into the mix and it's a miracle you remember to shower, let alone to daydream. Or maybe the daydream because the shower, but I digress.
As kids we don't think about bills, account balances, errands, ensuring that we keep tiny humans alive or anything else. We are free to play, explore and dream and we tend to dream big because their nothing else to focus on.
Reflecting on this made me realize how important it is to make room and to hold on to the dreamer within us. Dreaming is a powerful thing and without it, it's easy to get caught up in exhaustion, negativity and a feeling of being stuck.
As a parent, I am now trying to ensure that my kids keep dreaming, because I don't want them to lose themselves. It's easy enough for them to do that with the comparison trap of social media and feeling like their worth is determined by likes, comments and followers. They need to hold on to their dreams and figure out how to leverage them for their future - which is also a perk of social media....social media is such a double edged sword.
Over the last 3 years I have gone out of my way to get into the habit of dreaming big again.
I've taken time to try and remember what I used to wish for, how it made me feel and which of those things I might still want to pursue. These little seeds of what bring us joy are typically always still within us, they are just pushed deep down and need a little love to come to the surface and bloom again.
Traveling has always been a big dream of mine. There is something about being in a plane or on a road trip to somewhere new, that opens up this window to my soul and I get a glimpse of myself again. I think it makes me realize how small I am in such a big world and there is something exciting about that to me. I get swept up in the possibilities and the beauty of my surroundings and it's humbling.
For years I have had a dream board and a big chunk of that board has been dedicated to travel, however I didn't do anything to pursue it. There was always a reason that I found (or created) as to why I couldn't. Looking back and diving into mindset over the last 3 years has lead me to believe that it stemmed from limiting beliefs that I absorbed as a kid, so I'm working on rewriting the script.
Another thing that was sitting on the board for over a decade was my desire to own a Jeep Wrangler. I have always been drawn to them, but I convinced myself they weren't practical and that they were too expensive. So it sat there on my board and I would stare at it day after day and feel defeated. That is until a few months ago, when I finally cleared my thoughts around it and made it a reality.
The funny thing about this, is that as I dove into the Jeep community and learned more about them and what you can do with them, I realized that this vehicle can help me to make my dream of travel a reality too. It's crazy how things come together when you work on your mindset and remove the limiting beliefs that you carry around with you.
So, don't be afraid to dream. Stop sitting back watching the dreams of others come true via social media.
Stop thinking that those things are no longer for you....that your time has passed...that your opportunity to dream, create and grow are gone.
Because that is a bunch of bullshit!! It's never too late.
Start dreaming again...RIGHT NOW!
Dream loud, dream bold, dream big and do the work to change the story you play in your mind as to why these things can't come true for you.
As one of my favorite quotes from Inception goes...
“You mustn’t be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling”
