When it comes to dreams, it’s not the size that matters, it’s getting the right fit.
—
Know what would make me SCREAM?
Not this little guy, he’s actually really cute. (Although I suppose even I would be pretty surprised to find him curled up with the other pets one morning – and I LIKE dragons!)
If I hear one more person say “If your dreams/goals/vision doesn’t scare you half to death it’s because it isn’t big enough.”
THAT would make me scream.
Not because there’s no truth in it. But because, like so many axioms, it’s only the tip of the truth iceberg.
And guess what. They expand and expand until they feel properly terrified. And they do nothing.
|
Here’s what happens, especially about this time of the year. People get on the goal wagon, they start writing out their New Year’s resolutions, their vision, their aspirations, and they get excited. Then they see or hear someone they respect very highly suggesting, in a no-excuses kind of way, that if they aren’t terrified they aren’t dreaming big enough.
Well there goes the excitement. Now all those beautiful dreams start looking kind of drab. They figure they’d better start expanding their vision because they aren’t scared enough yet. And guess what. They expand and expand until they feel properly terrified. And they do nothing.
Know why? Because it isn’t the VISION that should frighten us.
The vision should excite us, it should drive us CRAZY with excitement. We should want to step into that vision so badly that we can almost see it, taste it, touch it. The fear that indicates you’re dreaming big enough (and dreaming true) isn’t associated with the vision. It’s associated with the process or the result – maybe both.
Like this scenario:
You’re madly in love with the vision – but you’re terrified because you want it soooooo much and you don’t know what will be required to make it happen. Or you kind of know what will be required and you’re shaking in your sneakers just thinking about doing it.
Or this one:
You visualize stepping into that dream and you get so excited but… what if you fail? Or what if you succeed? Either one will change your life. Forever.
It’s true that if your dream is something you really want, a lot, then you’re likely to start feeling the heat and imagining dragons.
But if the dream itself scares you, you’ll probably stay under the bed and dreaming until this time NEXT year.
|
And it’s true that the bigger it is, and the greater your desire for it, the hotter the dragon’s breath will feel. But the DREAM isn’t the dragon. The dream is the treasure. The dragons are our fears about the process, or about the result of committing to the adventure.
The treasure needs to be big enough and exciting enough to give you courage. That way, when the fear of dragons makes you want to tuck your tail between your legs and crawl back under the bed you’ll tackle the trail singing a happy little dragon lullaby instead.
But if the dream itself scares you, you’ll probably stay under the bed and dreaming until this time NEXT year.
Originally posted at Dixie Dynamite Coaching
—
Photo: Flickr/Alias 0591