Wishing Wednesday (Week 2)

Welcome to week 2 of this Wishing Wednesday series.  [In case you missed it, you can find week 1 here.]

This week is loaded with the fun stuff.  We get to brainstorm about all the things we really want.  It can be anything at all, but the real gift is when you tap into that place deep inside that knows what makes you happiest.

I have done my share of retail therapy trying to fill a void with another pair of shoes or another book, or the perfect pair of jeans (mystical creatures).  You can fill in the blank here______.  We’ve all done it.  Yet, the real desire is left wanting.  We have to delve deeper than the shallow waters of Macy’s to figure out what we REALLY want.

So here you go….some ideas to help you get to the truth of it.

1. Day Dreaming – 

First, we consider what we day-dream about. Last week it seemed that every post I read was about winning the Powerball Jackpot and what people would do with their Billions of Dollars.  It’s fun to see people get excited about something and dream with reckless abandon.  Then the reality set back in the day they learned they weren’t winners. They went right back to bemoaning the drudgery of their daily existence at their crappy jobs.

So let’s step back a second. Let’s look at what we would do if money were not an issue. What would your life look like?  Please let your emotions guide you.  They are the GPS of your life.  If it feels right and you could spend all day in this lofty dream, you are probably on the right track.  Don’t get sucked in to what you think would make OTHERS happy. Don’t worry about what your neighbors will think or what you High school friends will “like” on Facebook. (seriously, why do we still do that??)

Go ahead…Do it now. Where would you live?  What do you do for a living? What does it feel like? Sound like?  What do you drive?  Who do you have dinner with? How does it feel? Really engage all of your senses.  Write it all down, however silly or impossible it may sound.

I recently saw an image of a cabin in the woods and the caption read: “Some people want a big house, a fast car and lots of money.Others just want a small cabin in the woods to get away from those kinds of people.”  I had to share it because it is exactly true.  There is no shame in wanting less as there is no shame in wanting more.  We all have our own motivations.  The key is to be true to your own dream.

2. Dreamboarding

You have likely heard about dreamboards and how this tool can help you focus on and clarifying your greatest good.  I think they are a wonderful tool.  You can use Pinterest boards to save and organize your virtual dream boards.  With time you will start to see what most drives you.  Anytime that you see something online that moves you, Pin it! I have added Pinterest to my browser so I can just Pin as I browse.

3. Look around you

You don’t have to look far to see what inspires you.  For me, I just have to scan my bookshelves.  If you wanted to know who I aspire to be you need only peruse my collection of books….Photography, Homesteading, Knitting, Natural Healing, Herbology, Dreams and Metaphysics, Religion, Saving money, and a surprising collection of books on Astrology.

This private collection was what really moved me passed living to impress others.  I tried for years to be what others thought I should be.  Years ago in enrolled in a Law Enforcement class because all the people in my circle were interested in this topic.  At the end of the year, our instructor asked us to anonymously write down our future dreams.  I slipped my paper in the box and regretted it immediately.  He began to read the aspirations of my fellow classmates:  become an FBI agent, join the Marines, …CIA agents and lawyers also topped the list. Then he read something to this effect: I want to sew my own clothes and be a mother and own my own shop.  The laughter was intense and they all tried to guess who the wise guy was.  I joined them laughing and embarrassed and agreeing that it was the stupidest thing anyone could ever want….

I am finally OK with wanting what I want.  I am okay with being the psychedelic sheep in the family.  This is a liberating state.

4. Tell me what you hate!

Sometimes we have obstacles to what we really want because we are convinced that they are unrealistic. We lack clarity. Maybe it is because of selective attention. In psychology we learned that we don’t generally perceive anything other that what we believe is true or important. We may know that we are unhappy at our jobs, but can’t begin to see a solution because our society has ingrained us to believe that you have to suck it up.

The more we can determine what we don’t like (that should be easy) and focus on the opposite, we can begin to see the truth of the situation. Reticular activation is our friend.

(BTW, Bluehost just crashed and I lost the edited version of this post. I really hate that! I will focus on the completed post and hope that it reaches the right people and try to figure out how to remember to save.)

Okay, so there you have it.  It’s a great place to start. Next week I will talk about this picture:

This is the sketch I drew during the first week of my Dream Crafting Class in 2013. It matches our little homestead almost exactly. It was surprising to see the details. The only thing different is that we don’t have a pond, we have a creek behind the house.

Eleanor