Freedom Consciousness: Part Four – Freedom to Dream Big

Image courtesy of pixtawan, published on 19 February 2012

Image courtesy of pixtawan, published on 19 February 2012, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

The definition of a dream: A strongly desired goal or purpose.

It takes courage to trust, and trust evolves into faith and knowing. So, for those who are in the shaky first steps of their spiritual journey, it may seem farfetched and ridiculous to dream big. If we remember to first sense what it is we want, believe it will come, then the natural step is to trust and allow the Universe to bring what you’ve dreamed of into fruition.

Where many of us get tripped up is in the trusting and allowing. Some of us may get tripped up in missing the divine signals from the Universe to take action or to be still. While others get tripped up in not dreaming at all.

When was the last time you took inventory of your dreams? Dreams do not have to be lofty, out of reach and only for the select few who can achieve them. Dreams are a strongly desired goal or purpose that you can have. You can first have it in your mind as you daydream about it, then you can later have it in your reality. Finally, you can have it in the memory of experiencing the dream in reality.

What does your dreams say about you? Are they in alignment with the essence of who you are? Or, are they symbols of someone else’s reality? Your dreams should reveal a lot about who you are and where you’d like to be. Are your dreams authentic or generic – soul or ego driven?

You will know when you have an authentic or ego driven dream by how it makes you feel when you think of it. Whenever I think of an ego driven dream, like when I used to desire buying large homes, I felt a slight pang of anxiety from wondering how it was ever going to happen, then worried how I’d take care of and fill those homes. When my dreams shifted to wanting a cozy, warm space, that was perfect for my family and a sanctuary for myself and others, I felt peace and a knowing of already having it in me – my authentic dream.

Dreams that are in alignment with your soul will come to be. Dreams that are ego driven may or may not come, but in time, they may not be sustainable if they are not in alignment with your life flow and the essence of who you are.

Here are some ways to stay in touch with your dreams and to make them a reality for yourself and others:

  • Create a dream journal and scribe every single dream you have. Periodically read your journal’s pages – when you feel good and when you feel less than good. As you grow, so will your dreams, both in manifesting and your faith they will come true. In time, you will see pages of dreams fulfilled and your dreams will also become more tailored to who you are and where you want to go.
  • If you are in the shaky first steps of having faith your dreams will come true, look to your smaller dreams to blossom so you can start to have faith in the bigger dreams. Baby steps in your dream making will help you build the trust and faith in Divine Spirit to hasten your dreams to come true.
  • It is okay to start with small dreams, but don’t remain in a place of limiting your dreams to small ones. Dare to dream big, so the Universe has more ways of getting Its good to you.
  • Action – deliberate, good old fashioned baby steps towards your goal. Leaps are wonderful, but baby steps will get you there, too.
  • Thank God for placing those dreams into your heart and be thankful whether they have manifested in physical form or not.
  • There’s varied advice on whether or not you reveal your dreams to others. I see the benefit in holding your dreams close to you, just as I see the benefit in sharing them with others. It is all in how you feel about sharing your dream. Some are meant to be known immediately by others, while other dreams need to remain close until close to fruition. For me, I do both. Many of my dreams, I share with others so a) my dreams can escape the confines of my mind and b) to encourage others to dream as well.
  • Honor your dreams by acknowledging them, celebrating when they move in the direction of manifesting, and dwell in a state of mind that creates more and more dreams.
  • Do not be a dream crusher to others – instead, uplift others by encouraging them to pursue their dreams and celebrate with your friends on their accomplishments. It is people’s dreams and pursuits of their dreams that makes the world better. And, what makes the world richer are those who support others in making dreams come true.

We are blessed to have the ability to dream. So, I dare you to dream wild, dream often, dream big!

~Your Curator of All Things Inspirational, Kimberly Jo Cooley

References:

“Dream.” Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 17 Aug. 2014. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dream&gt;.

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Gestation of a Dream

Image courtesy of amenic181, published on 30 August 2013 Stock Photo - image ID: 100197880, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

Image courtesy of amenic181, published on 30 August 2013 Stock Photo – image ID: 100197880, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

Definition of Gestation: (1) the process by which something (such as an idea) forms and develops forms and develops. (2) conception and development especially in the mind (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gestation).

Depending on how big or small a desire is, it will have a gestational period – a time for the budding and expansion of a dream.

During the gestational period, there will be aches and pains, as the dream takes root and grows. There will be seasons of slow growth, and other times rapid transformation. There will be times of tears and times of triumph.

All the changes, the peaks and valleys, are necessary in birthing a dream.

Understanding the gestational period is imperative in finding patience and peace when you feel like your dream is futile.

You can deliberately create ways to hasten the evolution of your dream, but nevertheless, your dream will go through a gestational period.

It is up to you on how you behave and believe through this time that will either make or break your dream’s unfolding. You always have choice.

You could choose to kick and scream your way through the gestational process, each step more agonizing than the first. Or, you could choose to take the observer’s chair and enjoy the process, even during times of frustration. Kicking and screaming, fighting, and sulking will not speed up the manifestation, it will only grind it to a halt.

What births a dream in a more aligned and easier way is by appreciating the moments – big and small – that are shaping your dream. Being grateful is paramount in gaining more of what it is you are grateful for. If you are grateful for your dream, even before you see it on the physical plane, you are signaling to the Universe that you love this unfolding and align to it, so more of it can come to and through you.

Taking a few minutes each day to visualize your dream manifesting is vital as it gives you inspiration on what small or big steps you will take to push your dream. Visualization and prayer is the watering of your dream. You still need to feed your dream with inspired action, but the first step is to plant it (thought) and to water it (prayer/meditation). There will be times where no action or visualization will occur, but your dream has taken root and is growing.

When you have quiet moments where you are being One with God, you can then be divinely led step by step to birthing your dream. You will be given all the tools necessary to deliberately create what you want.

Women who complain throughout their entire pregnancy find more reasons and ways to complain and it feels like eternity before their baby is born. The woman who enjoys each moment of her and her unborn baby’s growth, finds time moves quickly and she has more reasons to celebrate the changes leading to her baby’s birth. It is the same thing for those of us birthing a dream – woes and complaints won’t expedite your dreams, if anything it only complicates and procrastinates the joy you are divinely given to have right now.   

Ask yourself whether you are allowing your dreams to go through their natural gestational period. Are you always hurrying through the process or are you savoring each moment moving you closer to the birth of your dream? What are some ways you can celebrate right now where you are in your dream’s journey to fruition?

~Your Curator of All Things Inspirational, Kimberly Jo Cooley

Stop Fearing What You Truly Want

Image courtesy of thepathtraveler, published on 23 May 2012, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

Image courtesy of thepathtraveler, published on 23 May 2012, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

A lady I know repeatedly told herself (and everyone around her) she doesn’t want kids, yet, that’s what she focuses on in many conversations. She has been telling the story of how she’s scared to become a mom and she’s received just that – no child or family to call her own. Her closest friends could see the pangs of jealousy cross her face when yet another one of her friends got married or had a new baby. Yet, she was so comfortable telling her story and too prideful to change it, that she’d rather hang on to that old fear rather than explore the possibilities of what her dreams could mean for her.

I used  to fear to dream because I was scared of let down. I wanted to inoculate myself from the pain of not receiving what I really wanted in my life. I was limited in my understanding that what I want has already been created and I just needed to be awakened and to allow it to manifest through me. I failed to realize that when I focused on my fears, rather than my dreams, all I was getting was more of what I truly feared and less of what I wanted.

In the case of the lady, she feared being let down and alone, more than she feared becoming a mother, but she is not honest about where her fear is stemming from, and until she is, she will remain in a holding pattern, not able to reach the life she truly wants.

When it comes to your dreams, are you being honest with yourself on a) having a dream? b) are you wearing other people’s desires for your life, instead of wearing and embodying your own? c) are you moving through your fears, taking faithful, measured and even small steps towards your dream?

The answers will tell you whether or not you’re allowing fear to run your life and whether that fear is an accurate out picturing of what you really are afraid of. It’s okay to have and recognize when you’re afraid, but do not confuse that with trying to head off disappointment if your dreams don’t come true. Hedging your dreams all the time, fearing they will never come true will manifest exactly what you fear – not having your dream. Instead, shift your focus, envision and feel what it would be like to already have your dream fulfilled. Then, let go of the worry over the outcome.

~Your Curator of all things Inspirational, Kimberly Jo Cooley

Be Bold and Steadfast in Your Dreams 2014 and Beyond

Image courtesy of Sira Anamwong, published on 12 April 2012, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

Image courtesy of Sira Anamwong, published on 12 April 2012, from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

Definitions

Bold: adjective \ˈbōld\                                               

  • not afraid of danger or difficult situations
  • showing or needing confidence or lack of fear
  • very confident in a way that may seem rude or foolish

Steadfast:  adjective \ˈsted-ˌfast also -fəst\                                               

  • resolutely or dutifully firm and unwavering
  • very devoted or loyal to a person, belief, or cause
  • not changing

It’s never too late to pursue a life-long dream. I don’t care if you’re 80 years old. If you are reading this, then you’re breathing and of sound mind, so it’s not too late. Every moment you’re here is a chance to create and play in this life. You do not have to take a huge, big leap towards goals and dreams, although if you did, that would be awesome. To reach your dreams, you’re not required to take giant leaps. Taking a deliberate step every day, for 365 days towards your goal, will build up your dream in an amazing and powerful way.

See how it’s a win-win? You could take slow deliberate steps, or high flying leaps, but you’ll get there with ACTION. Big or small, take the next step towards your goal today.

The Universe will provide the “how” of getting you to your dream. You just have to dream it, have faith by seeing it real, and taking small or big action steps towards your dream. Think about other successes in your life. Chances are, it wasn’t dumb luck that got you in a winning position. There was an embryotic vision, a belief in its existence in your life, taking small action steps to getting it, and allowing your desired outcome to enter your life.

What is your dream? It can be anything. What is/are your action step(s) or goals for getting there? Dare to dream. Always.

-Curator of all things  Abundant, Inspirational and Spiritual, Kimberly Jo Cooley

Definitions courtesy of http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary

Do the Fool like Noah and his Amazing Arc

“Start a huge, foolish project, like Noah…it makes absolutely no difference what people think of you.”
― Rumi

Any revolutionary book, invention or person probably faced a lot of criticism as to why they were “wasting their time” or “looking like a fool” as they pursued a dream. Noah faced it while building his gigantic arc. Noah, just like many great visionaries, heard and honored God’s calling by staying the course and ignoring the naysayers. Even if there was no criticism, visionaries probably encountered something even worse and more isolating – no words of encouragement or outside influence to guide them.

God never puts a desire in our hearts that cannot manifest. The tools are within us and through us, all we have to do is ask for the solutions with an expectant heart.

I could easily just sit back and be satisfied with my insurance job and live a quiet, uneventful life. I know that’s not why I’m here. I’m here to enlighten and inspire with my words. I can imagine people must think I’m crazy for starting a blog, writing a novel, or discussing spiritual matters. I don’t care what people think, really, I can’t care what people think. There is a driving force inside me – God’s push – that moves me each day closer to my dreams.

-Your Everyday Spiritual Warrior, Kimberly Cooley