For much of young adulthood I had what's called "night terrors" (really vivid nightmares), and although those have subsided, I still would love to have more influence over my dreams.
So in the last few weeks I've been trying to practice what's called "lucid dreaming." That means becoming conscious while you are in a dream, without waking up, and with the eventual goal of being able to control what happens in the dream.
It might go like this: "Hey, that's my cat driving a race car. Pretty cute but it probably isn't actually happening. This must be a dream. And since it's a dream, I don't have to be afraid to do what I want. I can fly! I can sing...in front of people! I can finally face and defend myself from that shady, anonymous, scary guy who's been chasing me all these years! Hey Jerk! Leave Me Alone." (Then I thump him between the eyes and he is GONE.)
I was telling a friend about my experiments and right away she said, "Oh, it's like coaching, but in your sleep. You are coaching yourself to be brave in real life."
What are your fears in real life? Can you visualize the change you want to see in yourself? Do you know what you would do with your time and energy and LIFE if you could just summon the courage to do it?
Personally, I believe we only get one go-round here. We're burning daylight.
If you (and I) are ever going to face our big-picture sometimes-scary life goals and dreams -- learning to surf/finishing our degree/starting a family/a smoke-free home/submitting the portfolio/trying a 10K/talking to an estranged parent before they're gone forever -- then when?
If you've been waiting for the "right time" to start on or even discover your real-life dream, I hope you'll consider attending my next free group coaching workshop on Taking Necessary Risks (see sidebar).
We will NOT be flying OR confronting imaginary stalkers, I can guarantee you that. But we WILL (privately, in writing) name the areas of our lives where we need to be more honest, brave and proactive, and you'll leave with a self-designed action plan. Take a chance and come on out. I promise not to sing. ;)
