The Power of Wishing or If Wishes Were Horses, I Would Hitch My Cart Right On Up

I've been trying to get myself to DO DO DO, lately. Activity is the key... in part because I have a strong tendency towards laziness and inaction. I want to WRITE. I want to PAINT. I want to COOK good dinners. I want to ORGANIZE. I want to SHOP. I want to WORK (well not really, but it is action, and I have been trying to pump myself up about working.)

I would, however, like to put a good word in for wishing. And dreaming. And hoping. And thinking. And imagining. And wondering. It is in these things that we come to understand what it is we really, really want. What's the point of doing all that work if it is not in service of your dreams?

I am not talking fantasy dreams where some guy on a white horse swoops in and saves you from yourself. I'm not talking about Disney dreams. I am not even talking about your night time dreams which may or may not just be the random firings of a recuperating brain. I am talking about the dreams in which the deepest parts of your soul speak to you.

If we pay attention to what we really want, pay attention to the things that fire us up, the things that we imagine for ourselves, then we can find out where we need to go to live a fulfilling life. Absently daydreaming is cool, but not the final step in making dreams come true. Let's explore.

DECLARING
Write it out. Write your dreams. Say out loud what you want and make a record of it. Be specific. The more specific the better. Not a house, but a sun filled, two or three bedroom cottage with porch, fenced in yard, fireplace, architectural character, and a space for an art and writing studio in a walkable, creative community. Yeah. And never having to get a day job again.

VISUALIZATION
This is the first step in making fantasies realities. Create a dream board. Look through magazines for images that seem to represent your dreams. Take photos of the things/experiences you want. Paste them on the board. Draw pictures of that which you want to see for real. Write words and phrases. Are you looking for a certain feeling? Use colors to represent things. Do you want to live by the ocean? Add a seascape. With a garden. And a picnic lunch. Do you want to write? Put in some beautiful journals, or an antique typewriter or a laptop on a cafe table for that matter... whatever you envision.

PLANNING
I think this is where the dreams can get caught up. It's hard to go from the ideal possibility of having dreams to the concrete reality of figuring out what you need to achieve those dreams. If I have my dream of having my little house and my little writing and art career, then I need to figure out what steps I need to get there. Backwards planning has always served me well. Imagine where you want to be in 25 years, 10 years, 5 years, 3 years, 1 year... and then figure out where you need to take action in order to be at your first goal. So for my ultimate dream of being a successful writer, artist and teacher in a cozy home, I need to work consistently on my novel so I can send it out and I need to open up a shop on etsy and I need to put myself out there and join communities of like minded folk.

If I were really focused on making my dreams happen, I would have my goals for this week, and for tomorrow. They might look something like;

TO DO
read over chapter 3 and look for themes.
rewrite 3 pages.
paint one monster painting.
open up a pay pal account.
start a dream/inspiration board
read and respond to 3 of my favorite blogs.
write a blog entry.
oh yeah, and feed the kids regularly
change them multiple times
keep them entertained and happy
and maybe clean up a little. maybe.

Tomorrow? Geez. Maybe those should be goals for the week.

Now that I think about it, keeping a daily To Do list might help me in my big, bigger, biggest dreams. I should start that up again.