“What Are Your Dreams?”

Dreaming Again No.1: “What Are Your Dreams?”

If someone asked you “What are your dreams,” would you know the answer? If you know your dreams, would you know the details of those dreams? Would you know the steps to take to see those dreams come to life?

My friend, Allen, owns a creative company that gets your stuff…whatever your stuff may be…Out There. You’ve most likely seen his designs throughout the Birmingham metro area. Actually, there’s even a chance you’ve seen them outside of Birmingham. I often wonder when I see his work, “What’s it like to have something you’ve created from nothing be out there for millions of people to see and to draw inspiration from?” Allen is in the business of getting stuff out there; and by doing that, he’s making people’s dreams come true. A couple of months ago during a conversation, Allen point-blank asked me, “What are your dreams?”

I typically like a week or two to process that type of question. In the moment, however, I gave him an honest answer, “I don’t know.” As I further tried to explain that my dreams have taken a back seat to the unpredictable patterns of life, I was suddenly aware that this was a sore subject for me. I quickly added, “Maybe teaching,” and with that, I clammed up. Allen was gracious enough to fill the silence with his dreams. In between the entertaining moments of his presentation (he can really sell an idea), I found myself so intrigued. He knew what his dreams were, he knew their details, and he knew the necessary steps to take to see those dreams come to life.

This conversation has stayed with me for several weeks now—my lack of dreams, the soreness of the subject, and the great attention to detail my friend has for his dreams. Allen’s simple question, “What are your dreams?” tapped on a door in my heart that got shut somewhere along the way. I am attempting, ever so cautiously, to open that door. I’m beginning to understand that I’ve missed being open to my dreams and their necessity in my life.

What better subject to restart my blog, Meanwhile…, with than that of dreams and forward thinking. Writing is, I recalled, one of my life’s dreams. I hope to start a conversation that gets us thinking forward in purposeful and productive ways.

Here is a sneak peek of September’s posts:

1. Dream Big and Small (September 7)

When asked, “What are your dreams?” my mind went searching for the one dream that would mean my life was a success. That’s a lot of pressure. My friend shared two dreams with me that day. One dream was big and for a future time. If he pulls it off, people will be talking about it. The other dream, though, was smaller, and he could make it happen any day with a ‘swish and flick’ of his wrist. Dreams come in a variety of packages with a variety of purposes…

2. Dream About the Dream (September 14)

It’s not enough to have a dream; dream about the details. Details tether dreams to reality. Brainstorming is not only super fun, it is also super practical. Consider some starter questions: What do you want to do? Why do you want to do it? What do you need to do it? What is your first step? What are the foreseeable obstacles? What are some fun details about this dream? We are more likely to pursue our dreams if we are thinking about them in detail…

3. Dream With People (September 28)

Don’t believe the lie that says, “You can do this by yourself!” Um, no. We can’t. We need all kinds of people in our lives. We need people like Allen who challenge us and tap on closed doors. We need cheerleaders who love and support us. We need quarterbacks who know how to get the ball down the field. We need coaches to rescue us, and special teams to seize special opportunities. We need someone who will say, “Stop using football analogies!”…

4. Dream Blockers (October 5)

I didn’t even know that I had stopped dreaming, so I definitely didn’t know there was a reason. Sometimes life’s unpredictable patterns make us stronger. They sharpen us and train us. Other times, though, those patterns are too harsh, and we shut doors to ignore the disappointment. It wasn’t like me to be dreamless, and I wanted to know why. So I started digging…