Recently, I had an epiphany.
Most of my dreams and aspirations have been produced with an invisible limit cap. For years, I’ve allowed my experiences, and the experiences of those around me, to inform my possibilities. By doing this, I’ve limited the extent to which I would dream.
After all, our dreams should be realistic, right? Why think about things that you probably can’t create.
Consequently, I’ve tempered my dreams, to be more like modest aspirations.
What about you?
What do your dreams look like?
Seriously!
Take a moment…
Think about this…
Just pause and get clear to one of your dreams.
(You do dream, right? If not, keep reading this post. It’s definitely for you.)
Got that dream in your head yet?
Is it limitless?
(If so, read no further. We’re all done here. Come back next week.)
If not, where did you stop?
What makes us place limits on our dreams?
Is it our reality?
As children, we experienced what mean felt like from our classmates, friends and some adults.
As adults, there’s very little room for others to be mean to us, because we typically do a great job of being mean to ourselves.
A lack of grace for failure, is what I believe causes us to cap our dreams into modest aspirations.
As soon as we get wildly hopeful about a thought that could be a dream, a voice in our head reprimands us and demands we retreat towards reality. That voice we hear is sourced by our experiences.
My question for reflection this week is:
Is your past, informing your future?
Our past creates our realities.
It’s hard to dream about being healthy when you haven’t been healthy for as long as you can remember; but is it a crime to have a healthy lifestyle dream?
It’s hard to dream about being in a fulfilling relationship if your relationship experiences have been fragmented and filled with pain; but is it a crime to dream of being in a fulfilled and loving relationship?
It’s hard to dream about being financially empowered if all you’ve ever known and seen is financial scarcity and woes; but is it a crime to dream of being financially secure?
My epiphany is this:
- I must remove the cap on my dreams to achieve spectacular things.
- You must remove the cap on your dreams to achieve spectacular things.
The future isn’t a place we’re going to go, it’s a place we’re going to create!
Starting today…
Will you create your future from a limitless source of possibilities?
or…
Will you create your future based on your past, with tiny glimmers of modest aspirations tamed by your perceptions of reality?
“Reality is wrong. Dreams are for real.” ~ Tupac Shakur
This week and beyond, give yourself the space to dream.
It’s the first step in creating a fulfilling future you designed.
Stay inspired, it’s a lifestyle choice!
About the Author:
Linal Harris
Global Entrepreneur – Certified Life Coach – Media Personality – Speaker
Linal Harris is a global entrepreneur, certified life coach, author, and media personality. As the founder of Inspirational Perspective® Publishing, LLC and Insights 4 Life™ Coaching, LLC, Harris challenges his global audience and coaching clients to Murder Mediocrity® and live their best life possible. Harris concentrates his work as an ontological coach with clients on what he calls the 4 pillars of life; the relationship we have to ourselves, the relationships we have with others, our relationship to work and money, and the connection we have to our spirit and life’s purpose. Harris coaches CEO’s, executives, entrepreneurs, athletes and celebrities. Harris is the author of “Slay Your Goals”, where he provides his readers with scientific and research backed tips for achieving their goals. Harris is an expert goal-setter and has been called upon by Fortune 500 companies to assist with setting their strategic priorities, facilitate goal-setting sessions and provide inspirational talks.
To stay connected, be sure to follow me on the following social media outlets by hitting the links below:
For daily inspiration – text “INSPIRED” to 43783 – Enrollment is free!
Excellent post, I’ve found this to be true. As we go through life we are taught to temper our dreams in “reality.” If your dream seems too lofty there are perceived as unobtainable and a fool’s errand.
However, reality is the way one chooses to interpret their surrounds, their past, and create their future. Reality is defined as “A thing that is actually experienced or seen.” The key word in that definition is seen. When something is “seen” you are being made aware of, in a visual medium. Dreams are often visual and their purpose is to let you know what is obtainable and achievable.
The greatest humans in history are often times described as visionaries. They dared to dream and follow through on their dreams. Initially some we thought of as crazy, now they are revered for the same thing they were once ridiculed.
Ironically, I have been in this space for a long time now, battling the dream in my heart and the reality in my head. What I know without a shadow of a doubt is that everywhere I turn this kind of message stares me in the face. I learned that when you keep hearing the same message you should listen. Granted, that message should propel you to action or change in a good way. If not you must reprogram yourself.
The battle between my head and heart is still there. However, I have chosen to act on the passion in my heart, not the limitations in my head. So I say, “Go for your dreams!” The biggest failure is not trying at all.
Great Post!