Actualizing Dreams: Tools for the Challenges

Recently, an extraordinary friend and I were talking about the challenges of actualizing our dreams. She told me that she and her husband, who are" fighters and warriors, have discovered the difference between giving up and letting go". This struck us as being humorous in the way that insights can make you laugh, because they are threaded with truth & realization. We discussed the importance of letting go & surrender, which involve faith & trust, including trust in timing & in detachment from outcomes.

Yeow. The saying "living the dream" is easy to embody while being in
the flow. But, what about when you're not, when there are setbacks,
when deadlines aren't met, when doubt creeps in, when disappointment
erodes confidence? What to do, to hold space, to keep energy flowing and to take action? How to discern when to let go & surrender, rather than quit or give up,
especially as the world is undergoing restructuring on many levels?

So. Time to get out those intuitive & spiritual tools, the ones you have but can forget to utilize. Here is one:

Pick a letter from the alphabet without thinking . Let words pop up starting with that letter, feeling their energetic essences build up & bubble out. Here are some of the P's:

Passion: This is where the dream started & is sustained. Summon up the love for what you are doing & why. With the pull of passion there is always the push of resistance. Picture these as dance partners, instead of as opposing forces. This is the continuous dance that happens within the urge to create & the obstacles that shape soul growth.


Partnering: When you are someone whose dreams involve contribution to the highest good, you will serve others in some way & partner with Source. Partnering or co-creating is only limited by your imagination. Ask to partner with your guides, allies & other people, your immediate environment, the whole natural world & even the universe.

Because fear separates & love unites, observe when you feel alone, stuck or without resources. Breathe in gratitude & re-engage your sense of belonging & connection, especially to your dreams!


Play: Play is about the attitude of playing as much as the action of playing. Play comes from feeling through the heart, then engaging the intellect. High play involves imagination &
connection to the thought stream, where new ideas come, through openness & curiosity. Discovery happens best where there is neutrality.

Discern between caring deeply & taking things too seriously. You can make a deal with your inner critic to play now & judge later. Then, play often lasts longer than the judgment phase & the inner critic is pleasantly surprised that something worked out well!

Picture your dream, in fruition & in steps along the way. Visualization sets energy into motion. Picture your doubts, fears & setbacks as beings, such as monsters. Morph them into silly cartoon characters, making them as real as you can. Look again. Can you really, deep down, let something that looks comical derail your efforts? See them diminish, fade away & burst into light or into any imagery that works for you.

Give yourself permission to take risks & to even fail, permission to suspend judgment, to trust, to ask for help & to take new approaches, remembering that so- called failure is fertile ground for future & higher forms of success.
 
Patterns: What patterns do you notice in the acceleration & deceleration of your energy & enthusiasm? It is important to notice in which part of a process that energy begins to lag. Does doubt come up most frequently in getting started, in the middle or at near completion of a goal ?

Perceive a project's energetic flow. Awareness of energy flow is an important component of unwavering commitment, for keeping intentions rich & alive. Is a project in an active[solar] or passive[lunar]phase? Sense the differences between stagnation, resting & receptivity & in
forward motion & seeming setbacks.

Pace: Are things happening in their own pace & time or in your assumed ones? Stress comes from self-inflicted time frames that are rigidly adhered to, as well as having no structure or goals, sending the message that actualization will occur in the ongoing future, never in the present.

Patience: Ah, patience. Remind yourself that manifestation on the physical takes time & alignment with a variety of factors.

Turn procrastination & perfectionism into allies. Both are red flags for avoidance, for
fear of completion, fear that the finished project, product or, namely you, will be judged unfavorably or misunderstood. When procrastination creeps in, there is opportunity for seeing clearly where fear is holding you back & why. Perfectionism can bring about the ability to see that your current best is good enough, but will get better.

Perspective: Perspective involves knowing when to be active or receptive, when to let go & to surrender the process to those unseen forces that are greater than you & your current understanding.

Pause. Take a break. Recharge, by going outside, stretching, meditating, breathing in light, being grateful ...

Party! Remember to have fun & enjoy your process. Applaud yourself for your bravery.  Acknowledge your process. Look back & recognize what you have learned & overcome, especially those things that were most difficult. Celebrate your tenacity & successes, especially if they are only apparent to you. Soul growth can't be counted, measured & rated in the material world.

Persistence: Check in with yourself, to notice if persistence has morphed into dogged determination. Trying too hard is wasted effort. Are you allowing for flexibility & the unexpected surprises that come with co-creation? These are gifts that come with unwavering intention & focus.

Perseverance: Yes! You have made it this far, through the joys &
sorrows of dream manifestation. So, onward, down the winding paths of
courage, discovery and realization, through the roadblocks that are
opportunities for learning & healing!