Published: May 19, 2021, 4:44 p.m.
\nMediation exercise for examining your own shelf of dreams.\xa0\n\nClose your eyes, take a few deep breaths, and imagine you're walking down the hall.\xa0 You see a closet door.\xa0 You open it.\xa0 There's a shelf way up high.\xa0 You stand on a step stool and peer on the shelf.\xa0 There's lots of dust.\xa0 You see a box labeled with a sharpie marker, "Dreams".\xa0 You pull it out, noticing how heavy it is.\xa0 As you drag it across the shelf and set it on the ground, you find yourself knowing what's inside before you even open it.\xa0 You have a remembering.\xa0\n\n\nNow, visualize sitting on the floor and the box is in front of you, but it's taped shut with duct tape.\xa0 Old, super sticky duct tape.\xa0 You look around for something to open the box and discover a box cutter with words written on the side.\xa0 You turn it sideways and it says, "why not?"\xa0\n\nThinking, "Ok, why not?" you begin slicing through the tape to opening the box.\xa0 What's inside your box?\xa0 Maybe it's a pair of ballet slippers, maybe a toy stethoscope, maybe a journal or cooking utensils.\xa0\n\n\nAs you set each item on the floor, you remember the person you were when you thought these dreams were possible.\xa0 You've changed and your dreams have changed, but taking out old dreams can reawaken the forgotten parts of you.\xa0 It can awaken creative parts of you, hidden talents, and skills you've shelved for years.\xa0\n\n\nYou see there's also something else in the box.\xa0 It's a piece of paper in the bottom of the box.\xa0 It's says FEAR in big letters.\xa0 You turn it over and see a dozen or more reasons why you shouldn't/couldn't pursue those dreams in your box.\xa0 You remember why you put the box on the shelf in the first place.\xa0 As Camille said, fear paralyzes and keeps you from following your dreams.\xa0 It whispers about responsibility and societal or familial expectations.\xa0 It reminds you who might be disappointed if you pursue your dreams.\xa0\n\n\nYou take a deep breath, grab the box cutter and carefully slit through each fear listed on the sheet.\xa0 When you have ribbons of paper scattered at your feet, you carry the box of dreams over to a table.\xa0 You carefully take out each dream and place it lovingly on the table.\xa0 You clean each one off and reexamine it.\xa0 You may not still want to be a nurse, but maybe volunteering to give vaccines would light you up.\xa0 Maybe you no longer want to make a living as an artist, but a community college art class could reignite a fire inside you.\xa0 Or maybe the cooking utensils make you want to take a cooking class or tackle a Creme Brulee.\xa0\n\nSteps to dusting off old dreams:\n\nVerbalize your dream.\xa0 Put it out there.\xa0 This gives it life and you'll start to believe it.\xa0 It'll be like a plant, slowly coming to life after receiving water and sunshine.\xa0\xa0 I interviewed a lady who had no idea how to write a book but she started telling people she was doing it.\xa0 The right people appeared in her life and a year later, she'd written and published a best-seller.\xa0\n\nTake a class or find a meet-up group in whatever interests you.\xa0 This allows you to dip your toe in the water.\nWrite out all the fearful reasons why you can't/shouldn't pursue your dreams, then shred or burn them.\xa0\xa0\xa0\n\nKeep asking yourself "Why not?" and "If not me, then who?"\n\nVisualize your dream down to the last detail.\xa0 Trust me, you'll start to believe in it.\xa0 I visualized myself teaching a seamless yoga sequence, I visualized the serene faces of my students.\xa0 I did this over and over until it became a reality.\xa0\n\nKeep asking yourself if what you're doing brings you joy.\xa0 This will shine a light on the difference between doing things because you have to and doing things because you enjoy them.\xa0 Then, do more of the things you enjoy.\xa0 Put them on the calendar.\xa0 Life gets busy and if you love hiking but don't plan for it, it simply won't happen.
