We want, we hope, we pray, we wish, we dream.
And then – do we trust?
Seriously, I mean give up all control of a situation and trust that it will turn out for the best or as we envisioned.
And are we then able to take valuable and meaningful action from that point?
We’ve all had those times at some point in our lives, the ones when life feels really hard, scary, even life altering.
Which one is the most powerful method to put your intention into? Praying? Hoping?
How do you make the right decision especially when it’s one that can intimately affect other people?
“Waiting hurts. Forgetting hurts. But not knowing which decision to take can sometimes be the most painful.” – Paulo Coelho
I never thought I’d be in the position to make decisions for another person’s life. And not just for any person either – decisions for my mother.
A woman who was born into a family with three brothers and it didn’t matter that she was the youngest and a girl – she had to work on the land like they did. She also had to cook, bake, clean, sew, knit, and crochet because she was a girl.
A woman who grew up in the atmosphere of violence and fear during World War II.
A woman who, at the age of fifteen was sent out to the mountains in the dark to bring food to her brothers night after night while they hid in the fields from underground forces after Italy’s armistice.
A woman who loved to sing and had a beautiful tenor voice.
A woman who at the age of twenty one had a terrifying accident. Thrown from the back of a pickup truck when it collided with the railing of a bridge, to land onto the rocks and frigid January waters below.
A woman who had the opportunity to make her mark in the fashion industry in Milan.
A woman who left her family, her home, and her country to chase the dream of a better life with her new husband. Bringing the daughter he hadn’t met yet on a trans Atlantic ship while he waited for her in a foreign country.
A woman who worked tirelessly for her family in factories to build the possibility of an easier life for her children.
A woman who made use of all her gifts and skills to extend the love she felt in her heart to those around her.
And now that this strong woman is almost ninety-one years old, I’msupposed to make decisions for her?
Several health issues have left her unable to live on her own any longer.
So these decisions of mine could be either soul-crushing or soul expanding for everyone involved.
Aside from finding out as many facts as I can, because like with anything, there could be certain things hidden from my awareness. It would be irresponsible to close my mind from knowing both sides of an issue.
Now, do I pray, hope, wish, want, or dream? Which one can lead me to making the best decision?
Wanting, hoping, wishing, and even praying are often done from the standpoint of fear, lack, begging, and unworthiness. Any action taken out of fear is not going to carry the kind of power that can bring about an ideal resolution to a situation.
“Our thoughts, our feelings, our dreams, our ideas are physical in the universe. That if we dream something, if we picture something, it adds a physical thrust towards realization that we can put into the universe.” –Will Smith
Dreaming however, seeing and feeling the situation working out is a different vibration entirely.
Maybe we default to the hoping, wishing, and praying because we don’t really trust the power of our dreams.
“Stop that daydreaming and get your work done!”
“What’s the point of dreaming? Never comes true anyway.”
“Dreaming is for fools.”
“You’re just a dreamer.”
Any of that sound familiar?
We don’t trust the power of our dreams because we learned not to.
“Dreams are the illustrations from the book your soul is writing about you.” –Marsha Norman
The Georgia Institute of Technologydid a recent study on the brain patterns of 112 participants.
They found that people who admitted to more frequent daydreaming came up with higher scores on tests of intellectual and creative ability and they had more efficient brain systems than those who just reserved their dreamtime for sleep.
“To accomplish great things, we must not only act but also dream; not only plan but also believe.” –Anatole France
Dreaming on purpose can actually help you to make good decisions, transform a situation, and help you reach your goals for anything from weight loss to the perfect job to overcoming a fear.
So in my dream to help me make my decisions;
• do I see a selfish outcome to serve my ownpurposes?
• or what I think is best for others?
• or might it be more effective and powerful if I see the situation working out to its highest potential for everyone involved? And feel the gratitude and joy as I will when it works out? Then let go of expectation and begin to plan, be guided, take action?
Ah yeah, it’s the last one.
“We fear to know the fearsome and unsavoury aspects of ourselves, but we fear even more to know the godlike in ourselves.” –Abraham Maslow
Dreaming, sensing and feeling the emotions that go with it are all part of the process. Gratitude and then releasing all expectations can be the most difficult.
People going through this will tell you it can feel harder than it seems. For me, keeping the self-discipline of working through the stressful emotions like worry, fear, guilt, etc. is the biggest challenge.
“You have two choices: to control your mind, or to let your mind control you.” –Paulo Coelho
Be prepared to come up against all the fears that have held you back before from knowing the true Genius within you.
I’ve had guidance and encouragement to learn how to manoeuver through that minefield. I would suggest you find a good coach, mentor, trusted experienced friend, who’s been through the fire and trained to offer this to others.
Go over the edge and learn to dream again.