Dreams are obsessions. There’s nothing casual about them.
The darkness of dreams is:
- Misunderstanding who you are. Those who strive to be like others will feel disillusioned in their future. Authenticity builds the dream.
- Beating yourself up because you should have done better. The darkness of dreams is self-accusation.
- Holding others responsible for a distasteful present.
- Discontent with imperfect progress.
- Striving for self-sufficiency.
- Neglecting people.
- Assuming you will be different in the future.
- Assuming you will get there in giant leaps. Buckle in for the long haul.
- Waiting for “perfect” opportunities.
- Defining the dream by what you receive, rather than what you give.
- Believing the future is changed by doing something tomorrow.
- Expecting the path to be straight. Dreams change as you change. The darkness of dreams is thinking what you want today is what you’ll want tomorrow.
- Listening to voices who don’t share your values.
- Repeating behaviors that produced an unsatisfactory present.
- Focusing on what you don’t want, without clarifying what you want.
- Protecting the past at the expense of the future.
Dreams that don’t impact behaviors are illusion.
7 simple tips for dreamers:
- Dreams find you. You don’t find them.
- Dreams form as you go. Dreams formed by those who haven’t done anything are silly fantasies.
- Distill your dream into daily behaviors that you enjoy. Being different – in this moment – is the stuff of dreams.
- When it comes to dreams, the path forward is always imperfect.
- Appreciate how far you’ve come even though you have so far to go.
- Small successes embolden you to imagine what might be. Dream small at first. Let big dreams emerge.
- Change your future by changing today. Your dream is too big, if you can’t, in small ways, step toward it today.
Bonus: If you aren’t sure of your dream, help someone with theirs.
Which item(s) on the “darkness” list seems most devastating to dreams?
What “tips for dreamers” might you offer?