I was looking at my vision board for 2020 the other day. It had been created with no expectation of a pandemic on the horizon! There are trips to China, Zimbabwe, and places in the bush. My dream of growing my business is the centre of the board while my financial growth sits neatly next to it. And, then all the pictures of me experiencing joy, happiness, and balance are scattered around. It captures beautifully all my dreams for this year. When I did it, my world was certain.
What’s Happening with My Dreams?
Now, where am I left with all my dreams? Overnight my world went from a place of certainty to a world of absolute uncertainty. Ironically, for a long time, I believed I was living with uncertainty. Well, I learned – again, overnight – what true uncertainty could be like. It’s nothing like what I believed pre-COVID!
And, despite all this uncertainty swirling around me, I am one of the fortunate ones. I still have my home, my family, my friends, and relative financial security. I’ve discovered creative ventures I don’t believe I would have discovered without the pandemic playing a hand in it. The coaching will happen when the world is ready for it again.
I guess I won’t get to China or Zimbabwe this year after all. Any plans to spend a weekend in the bush have also been put on hold. Somehow, though, my world hasn’t fallen apart because some of my dreams have to be shelved. But, they’re still my dreams and they’re an essential part of me. So, I’ll keep holding onto them.
Despite coming through a depressing and cold winter, I’ve opened my eyes to the joy and happiness that’s in front of me and always have been. The flowering aloes in the garden, our little rescue dog breaking out into joyful gallops around the house, the beautiful hazy sunsets in the evenings. Enjoying freshly baked scones in the late afternoon and snuggling into bed to read a book are all wonderful, simple ordinary moments that bring me such extra-ordinary happiness.
Uncertainty: A Time for Growth
With uncertainty comes change. With change comes transformation. With transformation comes growth. It’s all happening to us on a bigger scale and whether we like it or not, it’s a lesson for all of us. Some of us may choose to close our eyes – and that’s fine. But, hopefully, most of us will use this unprecedented change as an opportunity to embrace the growth it wants us to experience.
What I’ve realized is our dreams, if they’re meant to be, will happen no matter how uncertain our world is. Their outcome may not be how we expected them to be nor how we thought they would come about. But, if your dreams truly resonate with your deepest Self, they will happen.
What I’ve also realized is when my dreams don’t happen, they were not what I really wanted. They seemed right at the time when I visualized them. Instead, they get replaced with something way bigger, more awesome and so true for me. And, that’s the magic of the universe for you. There’s always something waiting for you – and you’ll get it, no matter how uncertain your world is.
Do Your Dreams Resonate with You?
Creating dreams is about doing the things that truly resonate with yourself. If anything, 2020 could be the year when you discover what’s really important to you. Not what counts on your Facebook page or how you believe the world should see you. Maybe this’ll be the year when eventually you can let go of the pressure to be what everyone else expects you to be and to become who you’re truly are.
If you’re still resolutely holding onto your dreams this year, take a closer look at them. Do they still make your heart sing with excitement? Do they encourage personal growth? If they come true, will you be acting true to your SELF? If you answer is no, then maybe this is the perfect time to create some new dreams? Uncertainty will show you the way.
Keep on Dreaming
I encourage you to hold onto your dreams (or create those new ones) even when things seem so overwhelming and uncertain & downright awful right now. Change is constant. You may feel we’re stuck in this mess and that there’ll never be certainty again.
But, remember, change is constant. It may take a while but there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. So, expect the unexpected. Hold onto your dreams and watch the space.