How many times a day would you say you dream?
How many of those dreams have actually come true?
If you knew how to make a dream come true what would you dream?
Is a dream the same as a hope or a wish?
Let me start backwards. Here is my list of action steps toward making your dreams come true based on my interview with a dreamer:
- Think about what you want. This isn’t something done on purpose it is something that comes to you based on a deep desire to achieve the want. Emily Dickinson says, “Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all.”
- Always come from a place of passion and authenticity. To just say you want something or to just say you want to achieve something doesn’t give the dream enough umph to help make it possible. You have to feel it deep in your bones, you have to give the dream meaning and purpose and true desire. Dr. Phil says, “The defining characteristic of every successful person I’ve seen—they have passion.”
- Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Know without a doubt that dreams cannot be achieved alone. Someone else or many people have to believe in your dream to help give the dream the energy it needs to live and thrive and gain ground. Deepak Chopra says, “If you live the questions, life will move you into the answers.”
- Allow the universe to catch the dream. Kelly Corrigan says, “You have to speak your dream out loud.” It takes time for your passion toward your dream to catch the wing of the energy in the universe. Allow the time to help your dreams take flight.
- Never stop working for what you desire. The energy of the universe needs to be in balance with your own energy in aiding your desire. Don’t underestimate what you can do to push the dream along. Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty. Have the courage to go after what you want. Eleni Gabre-Madhin says, “Dreams express what your soul is telling you, so as crazy as your dream might seem, even to you, I don’t care; you have to let it out.”
Recently I sat down with a young lady who has had remarkable success in making her dreams come true.
Q. Jessica, when did you start your dream list?
A. I can remember really being aware of dreaming for something between grades 7 and 9.
Q. Can you remember what your first dream was?
A. I was diagnosed with scoliosis when I was in the 4th grade. Around the time I was in 7th grade I remember dreaming about the day that I would be able to go clothes shopping and not have to worry about buying clothes to fit the back brace I was wearing.
Q. How long did it take to achieve that first dream?
A. It took 6 years to achieve that dream. During the summer between my sophomore year and junior year of high school I had to have spinal surgery because the back brace was not effective enough. That shift in time probably caused my dream timeline to come sooner rather than later.
Just before my junior year started I went clothes shopping for the first time without the brace and I bought myself a white lace sun dress. I had spent so much time thinking about what it would feel like and look like when I went on that first clothes shopping spree that it was like I had already lived it in my mind but actually doing it was a dream come true.
Q. Have people played a role in your dream fulfillment?
A. I do believe that people have an impact on our dreams. I remember, toward the end of my junior year of high school thinking about getting my driver’s license. I remember thinking about the kind of car I would enjoy driving. I wanted a Jeep Liberty but I had to put that on hold for a while so my first car was a silver Pontiac Sunfire.
Thinking back now about why I wanted the Jeep Liberty has everything to do with my English teacher. As a writing assignment we were asked to write a letter to our favorite teacher and describe how that teacher was most influential in our life and what we are thankful for about that teacher.
My English teacher was someone I imagined I could become. She showed respect for her students, she related to us and where we were at in our lives, she was a leader in her classroom but not overpowering. She was someone to respect on many levels of life; someone passionate about her job and life purpose. I think I just saw who I wanted to be when I looked at her. She drove a Jeep Liberty.
I related that car to who she was for me. She also influenced my choice of study in college. I am majoring in English because of her although I do not have plans to become a teacher, not right away anyway.
Q. I must know, did you ever get the Jeep Liberty?
A. YES! I diligently saved my money from working long hours at my job and I put away money I had received as a graduation gift. I was able to put a nice down payment on a used Jeep Liberty when I was a 2nd year college student.
Q. Have any other dreams come true since acquiring the car?
A. Yes. After my 1st semester at community college I felt ready and able to fit in to the college atmosphere, manage a full time job and the demands of academic life. I was finally feeling comfortable with my decision to go to college while living at home. I proved to myself that I could create a life I felt proud of and not need to follow the crowd by going away to school.
I knew community college would not get me a 4 year degree so I had to decide how to stay within my guide lines and still achieve my bachelor degree in English. When I was younger I had wanted very much to attend UCONN but I knew I never wanted to live on campus so I thought my dream of attending this university was not possible. I did my research and discovered that if I applied myself really hard and did my best at community college I could actually get into the university of my dreams and I could graduate with my 4 year degree from the satellite campus.
I realize now that things did not have to turn out this way. Most of the bachelor degree programs must be completed on the main campus which would have made it hard for me to attend UCONN on my terms. On August 26, 2013 I entered the halls of UCONN’s satellite campus and started on my path toward my degree. It was an amazing feeling to see my student I.D. card with the UCONN name and logo and my photo underneath the name. My next dream is to make Dean’s list each semester.
Q. At any time during your intervals of fulfilling each dream did you stop and think that the dream was just too untouchable, too hard to reach?
A. Yes. I think that is normal. Each dream had its moments of great difficulty but that panic I felt and the moments of doubt that I felt were something I tried hard to work through. Ice cream helped a lot but seriously, I am a lover of books so research and reading helped get me through, watching inspirational movies and TV programs like Gilmore Girls helped a lot and I have been very blessed with a great support system at home.
Q. Last question. You seem to possess an incredible power to create dream fulfillment. My question is 2 fold: Do you feel in FLOW when you are thinking about a dream coming true and what would be your advice for anyone wanting to set out to fulfill their dreams?
A. Yes to question #1. I absolutely feel in flow when even thinking about fulfilling a dream. It’s something I have done most of my life and I don’t know any other way so when the deep desire is there I know I can make that dream a reality. As for the 2nd question I would say to stay open to the shifts that life can take and to know that you also have the power to create the shifts as your life takes shape. Don’t be so stuck in one direction or in one goal that you miss the opportunities for new ways to fulfill a dream or gain deeper perspective.
Thank you Jessica.
It would be an honor to hear from you, my dreaming readers. How will you go about creating a dream come true? How has this interview helped shape your perspective on making a dream come true? Do you have more dream fulfillment steps that you would like to add to the list above? Please send them along. In the meantime, dream and journey on….
Parenting viewpoints from parents in the trenches, because parenting doesn’t come with a manual. In addition to