When was the last time you dreamed about the life you imagine yourself living, the career or business you see yourself owning, the soul mate you see yourself marrying and loving, the abundance you see yourself manifesting?
One of the intangible casualties of a great financial crash like we experienced in 2008 is the amount of faith and confidence it zaps from our lives. And as a consequence of that lack of faith in the future, our once mighty and powerful dreams fall by the wayside.
Perhaps because I’m a financial planner who needs clients to share their dreams, hopes and aspirations when co-creating their financial life plan, it’s become obvious to me over the past few years that people are having a hard time dreaming and imagining the life they desire.
Of course, if you’ve been kicked around by the downturn in the economy, whether losing a job, career or business, seeing your net-worth plunge or watching your home value sink like a lead balloon, picking yourself up, dusting yourself off and getting back in the game is easier said than done. Yet I respectfully suggest it’s time to reengage the dreamer inside you and set her free, again.
Faith vs. Fear
Part of what holds dreamers back is the fear of the unknown. Will the stock market crash again? Will the euro zone collapse and bring down the global economy? Will I be able to hold onto my job if the economy goes into recession again? Will my business survive another downturn? Will I have enough saved up by the time I want to retire?
All valid questions for sure, yet think for a second how you feel when you read these questions? Underlying all these questions are doubt and most importantly fear and uncertainty. Remember, fear constricts your life energy, faith and hope expands it.
Do we know what tomorrow brings? No. Should that be a reason we don’t allow ourselves to dream? No. But can we use our thoughts, our dreams and our imaginations to visualize the life we so deeply desire? YES! Is it easier to play it safe, to not dream big, to lower our expectations, of course it is. But is that how you want to live your life? My guess, the answer is no.
To dream, especially to dream big, requires courage. That’s because many of your dreams will never materialize. For some, the disappointment of a setback or many setbacks, especially financial setbacks, will cause you to never want to dream again. The loss of a dream you held near and dear to your heart is a painful experience. But the dreamers that never gave up, that kept dreaming again, and again, that’s the human story of resilience and perseverance that we all share in common.
Don’t Die With the Music Still Inside You
In Dr. Wayne Dyer's Ten Secrets of Success and Inner Peace, he reveals secret #2:
"Don't die with your music still in you. Find your passion and follow it even if it means marching to your own drumbeat when it's different from what everyone else or society says you should be doing."
Everyone has dreams. Dreams are powerful indicators of what you have the capacity to manifest into your life. To not allow yourself to dream is to do a great disservice to the divine and powerful being you are and will continue to be. It’s never too late to dream big. See yourself and know deep in your heart and soul that you have the divine capacity to manifest and attract all you need or desire, and be mindful that it all begins with a dream…
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
Mark Twain
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