A New Conversation About Dreams - The Power of Intention

Written by Marcia Wieder


It’s time to changerepparttar way we think and speak about our dreams. Transforming a conversation, just like manifesting a dream, begins by setting an intention. Your intentions will assist you in taking greater control of your life. A working definition for intention is: “to have in mind a purpose or plan, to directrepparttar 138525 mind, to aim”. Lacking intention, we sometimes stray without meaning or direction. But with it, allrepparttar 138526 forces ofrepparttar 138527 universe can align to make evenrepparttar 138528 most impossible, possible. My intention is to transformrepparttar 138529 conversation around dreams from fear and doubt, to hope and possibility, followed by action and results. Some might say this is notrepparttar 138530 right time to dream. The media and masses say, “It’s time to be realistic.” Consider this. Without our dreams all we have is our present reality. Reality is not a bad thing. We have to know where we are so we can designrepparttar 138531 appropriate strategy for getting to where we want to be. The challenge is our attitude around “reality” and being “realistic” and what being realistic has cost us. Often that’s our passion and joy, our hopes and dreams. Givenrepparttar 138532 unknowns and sometimes craziness of life, there’s never been a more important time to dream and setting your intention isrepparttar 138533 first step. When should you set an intention? You could set an intention every day. Your intention could be to work less and make more, or to find a new career that you are passionate about. It could be to get healthy and physically fit, or to spend more quality time with loved ones or alone. It can be specific and about something in particular or more like a quality, such as to be more relaxed or involved with life. At seventy, Bessie set an intention to become a world famous photographer. Although many thought she was too old, she didn’t. She entered a photo contest where she wonrepparttar 138534 first prize of $10,000. Her prize-winning photo toured aroundrepparttar 138535 world with a Kodak exhibit. She told me, “We’re never too old to make a dream come true.”

How to Put Fear to Work for You

Written by Shawn Driscoll


"Our doubts are traitors, And make us loserepparttar good we oft might win By fearing to attempt." - William Shakespeare, "Measure for Measure"

Fear is ever-present and an inescapable part of being human. Where there is a dream, there is fear. Where there is change, there is fear. Along with new opportunities, come fear. Yet somehow, fear has been vilified. We have come to think of fear is inherently bad—something to avoid or eliminate. Butrepparttar 138343 truth is fear plays an important and meaningful role in our growth and development.

In “Take Yourself torepparttar 138344 Top” Laura Berman Fortgang wrote “Every choice you make is rooted either in fear or in courage.” Likerepparttar 138345 two sides of a coin, fear and courage are closely melded together. When you tossrepparttar 138346 coin intorepparttar 138347 air each day, which side have you been landing on? If fear seems to be prevailing, try these strategies to make a friend of fear. Only then will your coin be able to safely land on courage.

1.Respond, rather than react, to fear. 2.Listen torepparttar 138348 fear as you would a trusted friend 3.Take your fear torepparttar 138349 end

Respond to fear rather than react to it…

What is your natural way of dealing with fear? Many times we simply react. Re-act. We STOP!, we change direction, we settle for something less fear-inducing, or we ignore it and struggle forward in spite of our fear. None of those reactions makesrepparttar 138350 best use of our fears. These reactions actually prevent us from fully achieving what we desire or dream.

The first step toward making friends with fear is to stop reacting to it and start responding. Our fears are there because they are trying to tell us something about ourselves. When we respond to our fears, we are takingrepparttar 138351 time to listen and then make changes, correct something, or create something that we need. Atrepparttar 138352 first sign of fear, STOP, LISTEN and RESPOND. The longer you ignore it,repparttar 138353 more likely you are to react and regret.

Listen torepparttar 138354 fear as you would a trusted friend

What if you viewed your fears as a friend instead? What would your friend want you to know? What is it asking of you? When we react to fear, we usually are trying to turn offrepparttar 138355 “negative” emotion. It’s uncomfortable for us and we want to withdraw from it.

Embrace it! Love it as you would a friend. It is not asking you to shrink away from your ambitions, hopes, dreams, opportunities or possibilities. It is asking MUCH MORE of you than that. It’s asking you to Act Bigger. To be self interested, self preserving. Dream big but take care. Have a Plan B. And a Plan C. If you fear failure, build a safety net so that you can get back up and keep moving forward rather than having to spend time and energy putting pieces together. If you fear rejection, give yourself acceptance—fully.

If you are finding that fear is holding you back, try this: Write downrepparttar 138356 fear-based messages you are dealing with. (For example, What if I fail? What if this doesn’t work out? What if they say no? What if they say yes? I am afraid of losing. I can’t do this.)

Look at these messages and ask yourself…what is my friend fear trying to tell me? What is it asking of me? Is it true? Write down your response for each fear based message you have listed.

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