Too often we lose sight of what's important to us for example, enjoying nature, exploring our spirituality, connecting with friends, traveling, and being creative. Yet, we know that our lives are incomplete. The truth is, we can all have much more meaning in our lives - we just don't know how to do it. This article explores different ways to live your dreams.There are many barriers to living our lives
way that we would really like. Child abuse, alcoholism, grief, poverty, and
like all take their toll. Yet, from deep within us we hear a cry - a cry for more; for something inspiring.
Living an inspiring life is not just for some people. It's for all of us. We can all live our lives more fully and do more of what we want. You might think that you're too busy, don't have enough money, or don't know what you want, and while that's all understandable it need not get in your way.
We need to begin by listening to our internal cry. What is it telling us? What do we need? What is missing in our lives. And, once we know that, we need to find ways to live our dreams.
James Hillman, in his book The Soul's Code (Random House, NY, 1996), says that
answers to who we are and what we want can be found in our childhood musings. He says,
"Sooner or later something seems to call us into a particular path. You may remember this "something" as a signal moment in childhood when an urge out of nowhere, a fascination, a peculiar turn of events struck like an annunciation: This is what I must do, this is what I've got to have. This is who I am...If not this vivid or sure,
call may have been more like gentle pushings in
stream in which you drifted unknowingly to a particular spot on
bank."
Hillman believes that in order to uncover what gives us meaning or pleasure (what he calls our calling) we need to remember what fascinated us, grabbed our attention, or spoke to us as children. He believes those memories even if they are only tiny glimmers or flashes of our desires hide our deeper longings to be or to do something.
To use this method, you might want to think about yourself as a child. What did you dream about? What did you like to play? What were your fantasies and dreams?
While it may not be clear to you what any of it means. Those memories or dreams may hold something you need to know about yourself. You might want to spend some time writing about it.
Dr. John Suler, who teaches at Ryder University, designed an exercise for his students called The Therapeutic Ingredients of
Vision Quest that can help with this. A full description of this exercise can be found here http://www.rider.edu/users/suler/vquest.html
I found
Vision Quest to be very helpful in awakening my deeper wisdom and awareness of synchronicity.
Suler's steps for
Vision Quest are as follows:
1. For a period of at least 4 hours, leave your room or home and go out somewhere, anywhere. Don't plan ahead as to where you will go or what you will do. Don't do anything in particular (e.g., don't go bowling, to
movies, to visit friends, etc.) Just go where your instincts tell you to go. Let your "intuition" carry you. Just wander (of course, don't do anything dangerous).
Do this alone. This is very important! If you meet people you know, you may talk to them for a few minutes, but no longer than that. Continue on your way.
2. While you wander, concentrate on some question about yourself, something you want to know about yourself, or some problem you have been experiencing in your life. You could simply focus on
question "Who am I?" or any similar question. Think, reflect, ponder this question - but also let your mind "drift."