OK, time for a goofy but very meaningful exercise

When I began seeing things differently, it was almost as with a brand new pair of eyes, the world appeared to me as a new frontier. This slow learning process took quite some time. It did not occur overnight, but what was important to me was that the process led me to one conclusion: Life is beautiful, and you can make into whatever you want.

During the metamorphosis, I resolved to be happy, to experience new things, to be ambitious with my dreams and to make them happen or die trying.

Now, before you accuse me of infomercial Don Quixotism, let me propose that we all of us humans want meaning and purpose in life, be it in the form of religion, happiness, vocation, family, experiences, money, possession, relationships, influence… you name it. If you don’t crave fulfillment, I submit that you are where I was those years ago with no faith, hope or love. Please read on, this book is for you. If you do have the faith, hope and love, and even know what you want in life, read on. This book is for you too. You know what you want, allow me to help you get it.

Our dreams can come to us at the weirdest times: moments of inspiration, moments of anxiety, moments of boredom, and moments of desperation.

Neil Armstrong bouncing on the moon might inspire some to become an astronaut. An imminent foreclosure on the family’s home might motivate some to seek greater wealth and security. Gazing blithely out the office window might lead some to a new career choice. Vagabond shoes and small town blues might press the wanderer to seek a new life.

However the process, whatever the dream, the aspirations in our lives appear to us frequently and with little prompting.  Recognize, if you will, that these hopes and dreams are our heart’s unvarnished aspirations. They are what we long for.

In fact, this is a great place, right at the beginning, to engage in a quick, easy exercise that will take 10 minutes.

When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? A doctor? A lawyer? A police officer? A fire fighter? A veterinarian? The Crocodile Hunter? An “army man?” A ballerina? A lobbyist for a Fortune 500 chemical company (ahem! But I digress)? Did you want to live in a certain place? Did you want money? Did you want to own the Pittsburgh Steelers or be an Olympic gymnast?

As a child you perhaps were awestruck by certain role models in your life that bedazzled you with their authority or the halo of their aura… or even simply their uniform. It was easy for you then to say, “I want to be that.” More importantly, you, like most kids, simply declared, “That’s what I am going to be when I grow up.”

And it was as simple as that. More importantly, children are unencumbered with self-doubt and limitations.

 

In the meantime, between then and now, life happened and most likely steered you off course. Your grades might not have been exemplary. You might have endured a career ending sports injury or were professionally knocked out by a financial set back.

Certainly, there may have been many life-changing circumstances that have influenced the path you have journeyed. Perhaps the less-than-awesome entry-level job out of college accidentally turned into a less-than-inspiring career. And of course you may have bound yourself to a relationship (or relationships) that took you places you never dreamed about (including hell). Chances are, you are not exactly where you wanted to be when you were 7 years old.

Now, I don’t expect everybody to still carry the torch for a stable of ponies and unicorns or for comic book super powers (well, I sometimes do). And of course, your dreams might have changed anyway. When you turned 8 years old, you decided to be a professional cheerleader or racecar driver. When you turned 15, perhaps you determined that the slacker life was for you, and by college you frankly became whatever your grades and a new employer allowed you to become.

I’ll admit that the dreams and ambitions of a child are more likely to be superficial than practical. After all, said child hasn’t sat through a job interview or sat for the bar exam. Said child hasn’t gotten married and begat his or her progeny. Said child did not have credit card debt or a mortgage or rent.

Still, a child’s dream is an unvarnished, uncomplicated, heart-pounding, pupil-dilating vision of excitement.

 

But I contend, “So What?!” The dreams of that child were honest, simple and from the heart. They were unburdened by caveats like, “When I finish my MBA…,” or “After I make so much money…,” or disclaimers like “I can’t do that anymore…” or “That’s nonsense at this point in my life.”

Why can’t you visit that child right now and channel his or her imagination? What stops you from gazing up into the stars right now (assuming it is night) and telling yourself, “I want to be X”? “I want to have Y.” “I want to do Z.”

This seems goofy, does it not? Why? Why should such an “impractical” exercise that costs you nothing be any goofier than living a life unfulfilled?