"Dreams pass into the reality of action. From the actions stems the dream again; and this interdependence produces the highest form of living." ~ Anaïs NinThe set-up of my new apartment is nearly complete. It's beginning to feel like a home, so to celebrate I took myself for a stroll around my new / old neighborhood. Even though I only moved four blocks north, it feels like a whole new life here. Somehow, even my old haunts look different, refreshed from this vantage point.
Everywhere I looked there were signs of new life: business springing up on every corner, new restaurants that were bustling, sidewalk artists, musicians on the streets, fresh fruit vendors. One hair salon was having a day of gratitude, thanking customers for their loyalty during these tough times. It was enough to make me giddy. Maybe we are going to be okay.
All of this new activity got me to thinking about dreams and how I'd like my life to be going forward, starting today. This year has been filled with great lessons on the power of intention. Hoping and praying for something to come to pass has its power, though on its own it's not going to get the job done. While I believe in the energy of the universe, I believe that energy is there for us to use, not admire. I'm beginning to question this idea of what we're "meant to do". We may just be meant to do whatever we set our minds and hearts to.
There is a peculiar play between dreams and action. I've found that I have some dreams that are filled with so much passion that it would be impossible for me to not work on them. And that work is what brings them to life. And seeing my dreams brought to life begets the confidence to create new dreams. And on and on we go. This cycle enables us to live to our full potential.
Someone recently told me that she's afraid to work on her dream because she's actually afraid of achieving it. A part of her just wants to put it away in a little box for safekeeping so that it always stays in her mind's eye, exactly the way she envisions it. This sounded so strange to me. Who actively doesn't want their dream to come true? And then we got to what she's really afraid of: if she achieves her dream, then what will she do after that? What if there isn't anything else? What will she do when she's run out of dreams? Will she just be hanging around waiting for life to go by?
There is another beautiful layer of truth hidden in Anaïs Nin's quote that speaks to this fear. She's saying that deeply embedded in every dream is the seed to a new dream that's activated when we see the first dream become real. In other words, having a dream, going after it, and achieving it guarantees that a new dream is on the way. There's no need to hold back. No need to give only part of the energy we have. Pour yourself into your endeavors, all of them. The well of strength and possibility is deeper than we could ever imagine. The dream you have right now, at this moment, is only the beginning.
The photo above can be found here.
3 comments:
Thanks for writing this Christa!
It really hit home for me, as I am in a constant battle with my brain on how to pursue my dreams and how to get going on some coming initiatives. I can definitely relate to the whole idea of keeping your dream locked up someplace, and keeping it just as you see it. But at the same time, by keeping it enclosed that passion for the dream only further releases the many reasons as to why you should go ahead and achieve it. Anyhow, as someone who's got all sorts of rambling ideas and visions, who doesn't always know where to start or what to focus on, this gave me a concrete message: "focus on one dream at a time and the rest will see itself through."
Thanks!
Hi Nikita! Thanks so much for your comment. I had trouble writing this post so I am so glad to hear that it resonated with you. I was getting in my own way on my writing. Just as with dreams, the more we write, the more we have to say. I needed to be reminded of that :)
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