Toss Seeds to the Wind - The Power of Giving Words to Your Dreams

Is there a deep inner spark inside of you? A dream, or whisper of something you want to do or want to become, a goal you want to achieve, an idea that tickles in the back of your mind? Maybe your dream seems like a possibility when you are relaxed, feeling confident, excited? But at other times seems allusive, just out of reach, especially when the routines in life get in the way?
 
Perhaps your dream is as big as a new career, or as simple as carving out time to spend a get-away weekend with girlfriends. Maybe you want to run a marathon, lose weight, write a book, travel more, join a hiking club, take up a hobby (like Nuno Felting or Freeform Beadweaving perhaps?!), play an instrument, join a choir…
 
But if you are like me, you will find all sorts of ways to smother your dreams with layers of self-doubt, practicality, negative logic - and it is oh so much easier to believe the negative voice in our head than the dreamy one, isn't it? “I don’t have the time.“ ”I don’t have the money.”  “I don’t have the experience.” “No one will take me seriously.” “I don’t deserve.” “I’m not good enough.” We have perfected the art of laying obstacles in our path, haven’t we?

Of course, surrounded by all this negativity, the seeds of possibility are starved of oxygen and wither before being given a chance. And so, we trudge along in our day-to-day life telling ourselves that tomorrow, next year, when we retire, when we have more money, when we have more time - someday we will follow that dream.
 
But imagine for a minute that there are no obstacles, no walls, no insecurities. That you have all of the time, the talent, the money, the experience to make it happen - RIGHT NOW!
 
Here is a little secret
It is all in your mind set, in the power of the words you tell yourself.
It is so easy to forget that all we need to do to achieve our dreams - is to START. To BEGIN the journey. To TOSS THE SEEDS of our dreams into the world so that they can grow.

Would you like to play along with me?
Close your eyes and conjure up that dream, that goal, that tickling idea. Run with it for a moment, picture yourself having already become what you dream, having already achieved your goal. Hint: I like to visualize myself with my arms above my head – a celebratory stance if you will, but also one that science tells us holds power (I wrote more about this HERE).
 
Visualizing and putting words to your dream are like throwing seeds into the wind – they scatter, and take root.
You see, these little thoughts when put into words become ideas, plans, possibilities and all of sudden the world aligns to make them happen, to allow the seed to germinate. By throwing your dream into the world:

• You begin to open yourself up to moments of serendipity

• Random things align

• You start seeing your idea, or affirmation of your dream, crop up everywhere… a magazine article, a friend’s conversation

• You open yourself up to the possibilities

• You start listening to the dreamy voice, instead of the negative one

• You start carving out time to fulfill your dream

Your pathway, though perhaps faint at first, becomes visible. Sure, we have to whack away the brambles and clear the brush out of our way – that’s just time and work. But when we see and give power to our goal by giving it words, we begin to see our path and that is where the magic happens. Once we START, it becomes easier and easier to continue.
 
Believe me this really works! (my story)
Yes, there is a reason I’m babbling on. Because in fact, right now I’m shaking things up a bit, taking a leap, overcoming my inhibitions… and I’m going to share with you the seeds I’ve tossed out into the wind:

I am creating an on-line Color Workshop!
To many of you, perhaps this doesn’t seem like a big leap. However, even though people (and companies) have asked me to create eCourses since 2011, I’ve laid down every obstacle I could possibly find: "How do I know if students ‘get it’ or not, if I can’t see their expressions and body language?" "My recorded voice sounds so different." "Yikes, what's with all those wrinkles?!" "Will I have enough material to fill an eCourse?" "What if I invest in all of the video equipment, eCourse hosting fees (not to mention months of time) and no one comes?" "Will students and I miss the electrifying energy of the actual classroom?"

These self-doubts resulted in procrastination year after year. But no more! I wrote down and sent out my intentions last spring about getting over my fear of video and doing eCourses - and everything started to align to make it happen:

• A women's business group I was in, challenged us to create a video and share with the group - and I realized that I didn't have to be perfect

• My high school son, unbeknownst to me, developed an interest in videography, studied up on staging, editing and basic equipment

• The well-known Alcohol Ink artist and on-line teacher Alexis Bonavitacola, reached out to me to collaborate in her latest eCourse: Joyful Color Harmony (SO exciting - read more about this below!).

Whew! I’ve tossed the seeds out there. I’m committed now – not only to myself, but by sharing it with you, I’m now committed to YOU. So the heat is on. I’m diving in! I’m starting NOW!
 
Let's toss seeds into the wind together!
I invite you to toss your idea, goal, the seed of a dream into the world, put a name to it, write it down on your mirror, and on your calendar with an alert set to remind you of it every day, write it down in a letter you give to a friend to mail back to you in 6 months. Tell your friends. Post it on social media. Write it into the comments below!
 
What is your dream? Toss the seeds and watch it grow!