Last updated on July 25th, 2012 at 07:24 pm
Many many moons ago, back when I was a very little girl, I first birthed the dream of being a “famous author.” I always knew somewhere deep in my heart and soul that I would write books someday.
Thanks in large part to the support of the amazing team at 8womendream and my writing coach Ellen Sussman, I finished the first massive tome that was draft one of my book, Burning Down the House.
It is still in process and remains the “big dream” along with the many other book ideas I have dreamt up since then.
Lessons Learned!
Throughout my life, as I have pursued and lived various dreams, I have had moments of complete confidence, and moments of doubt and fear. I have stayed the course with some dreams and seen them through to completion, taking all the steps I needed to take along the way, and seeing the finished vision in my mind ahead of time, then realizing that vision through a combination of work, passion and love.
Some dreams have remained just that – dreams – not manifested yet in form in the material world.
I’ve been thinking lately about what separates the dreams I have realized from those I haven’t (yet!), and how I am my best friend and worst enemy as well when it comes to living my dreams.
You Have to Believe It to See It
Countless research studies have proven the power of visualization to live our dreams.
Visualization is an often-taught mental rehearsal technique in sports. It is an extremely powerful tool and numerous studies have been done to test this.
You may have heard of this basketball study or a different one with similar results.
A study conducted by Dr. Blaslotto at the University of Chicago was done where he split people into three groups and tested each group on how many free throws they could make.
After this, he had the first group practice free throws every day for an hour. The second group just visualized themselves making free throws. The third group did nothing. After 30 days, he tested them again. The first group improved by 24%.
The second group improved by 23% without touching a basketball!
The third group did not improve which was expected.
If you can see it clearly in your mind, you can achieve it…
Believing in Yourself!
Often when talking about dreams, we hear or talk about believing in ourselves and our own capabilities, which of course also is part of what enables us to live our dreams.
There have been times when I’ve pushed dream success away by not being ready to receive – not believing I was worthy! This, of course, is ridiculous, because we are all divinely created (I believe!) just as we were meant to be, and we are the only ones who can express our own unique gifts and qualities on this planet.
It’s important to do whatever it takes to grow in self-love and trust. Any of the following can help:
- Using affirmations to retrain our brains to think positive thoughts about ourselves.
- Doing “mirror work,” as Louise Hay calls it, which is saying positive things to ourselves while looking in the mirror.
- Taking good care of ourselves, and not just attending to the needs of others.
- Pampering ourselves sometimes to make ourselves feel “special.”
- Acknowledging our accomplishments and successes, rather than just focusing on what we haven’t done (yet!).
- For me it also means being willing to accept my strengths and my weaknesses, and to love myself even when I fall down. It’s all part of the journey…
Living Our Purpose
Also, as I’ve achieved various dreams over the years, I have found that when I am committed completely to a vision and passionate about it, and trusting in the Universe, it all flows somehow, and I worry less about whether I can do it. The energy and resources and everything I need come to me, naturally, as part of the process.
In this state, synchronicity and miracles happen… Life flows. And when I’m feeling passionate and creative, the sky is the limit!
The key is to remember to love myself at all times and to push forward with the dreams, even in those times when not feeling inspired… knowing that doing the work is what matters, and that our biggest dreams will manifest over time if we sustain the belief, do our best, and hand the rest over to the universe (as I like to say when writing down visions I want to achieve, “This or something better, dear Universe!”).
It helps me to trust that whatever comes and manifests is for my highest good.
Lisa P. Graham is an inspirational writer, life coach, TED motivational speaker, and globe-trotter whose passion is to help others to find happiness and meaning in their daily lives. A political activist at heart, Lisa would like to empower more women to run for political office as a way to create positive change in the world. You can find her on her website or watch her TEDx speech on YouTube.
Note: Articles by Lisa may contain affiliate links and may be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on an affiliate link.
