Let’s talk about dreaming. Do you dream? What do you dream about? Do you have dreams??
There’s a little bit of a difference here. One type of dreaming is something that happens unconsciously or subconsciously, hopefully while you’re sleeping. You know the kind of dreams where you’re being chased by a tiger or you’re flying or your 5th-grade math class is underwater. That kind of weird dreaming. Things that make you go huh?
The other kind of dreaming is the one where you are actively envisioning the kind of life that you would love to live. You know about those dreams. Those are fun! Picturing yourself living the perfect lifestyle, engaged in meaningful, satisfying work, a beautiful loving partner, your dream house by the water, or in the mountains. The kinds of dreams that winning the lottery starts to engender.
When you close your eyes and allow yourself to be in these visions, what do you feel? Do you kind of float away? Do you feel light, safe, secure, carefree? As if on a cloud? Do you find yourself actually smiling out loud at the possibility? That’s happened to me.
Did you know you can actually feel like that right now? Yes, You Can! Having stuff is nice, but good feelings that are predicated on getting these things is based on what we call external influencers. In my opinion, the feeling isn’t really authentic. We say, “I’ll be happy when I get that job” or “I find the perfect partner.” Or “I’ll feel secure when I have x number of dollars in the bank”. Why would you want to wait to feel like that? Besides, if external influencers can bring you those feelings, external influencers can also take them away.
It is possible to access those feelings right now. Try this real quick… Close your eyes. Think of a time when you were just giddy with happiness. Maybe it was the birth of a child, winning that big contract, or being in the beginning stages of infatuation or fully in love with your partner. Can you feel that? That’s right here. In the heart! Do this and you can feel that whenever you want. I Promise.
Another way to access these feelings is to be grateful. “It’s not about having what you want, it’s about wanting what you have’. Thank you Sheryl Crow. Gratitude is a wonderful, natural mood enhancer. It’s actually miraculous the way it works. There are many neurological studies backing up the fact that you can’t be grateful and angry, sad or depressed at the same time. I do acknowledge though, that clinical depression is a whole different thing and should be treated as such.
You’ve heard sayings like “It is not happiness that brings us gratitude. It is gratitude that brings us happiness.” and there are many similar affirmations about this. I’ve talked about gratitude before, and I may again, but that’s not what today is about. I’m just using that as an example of how we can create those feelings that we want, from within, without having to wait for something outside of us that we don’t have.
Celebrate what you do have. That celebration lifts your spirits, allows dopamine and endorphins to course through your body, your system. In this way, we can experience the feeling of what we want to feel right now and on purpose.
Why wait?
Just sayin’