November 02nd, 2012

DARE TO DREAM....
Okay so this is what I have noticed when I reach for the stars and dare to start making my dreams come true.....I come fact to face with my FEARS.
My fear of failure
My fear of rejection
My fear of not being good enough
My fear of lack
My fear of being hurt
My fear of the BIG BAD WORLD
My fear of getting it wrong
My fear of being unsafe
My fear of being judged
PHEW! I feel exhausted juts writing this! All this fear makes me want to shoot straight back into the shell I've been trying all my life to get out of! This is the strange paradox that I find myself living in. Although growth is a natural process for which we are all wired there seems also to be a natural pull in the opposite direction. So just as I am about to step out and take the next tentative step towards expressing my life more fully I meet this strange force pulling me backwards. I feel the gravity of my own fears heavy on my shoulders weighing me down as I struggle to break free. And yet beyond all this the sun is beckoning, the sky is calling and a song of FREEDOM rises in my heart. How can I not respond?
This BIG WALL OF FEAR that I find myself standing before is the place where LIFE meets life. It is the creative edge - the place where I get to create my experience of life as opposed to merely reacting to life. It seems however that in order to be creative in this way I must first learn to accept as part of my life the force that is in opposition to this.Instead of wishing my fears away I must learn to appreciate them as the gift that they are. My fears can be pointers to what I most desire in life (I will write more about this in a later blog 'The tracks of my fears') and as such they are invitations for me to live a more full and authentic life.
My thoughts go to Malala and Hina the two Muslim girls standing up for their dream to be allowed an education and to be offered the gift of living free from the dictates of a strict religious code that sees them as undeserving of the same rights as men.
I think of their BRAVERY and wonder how dare I even think of not following my own dream when I have the freedom and the ability to do so? How can I talk of fear when in comparison to violent threats and attempted murder my own fears pale into insignificance? It would have been quite understandable in their case if they had opted for a course of action that would ensure their safety but the same is not true for me. My fears are not of the same nature, they are perceived fears rather than real ones.
I may never be able to show the kind of courage that these woman show but in my own way I can make a start and be brave in my own circumstances. I can make a stand for what I believe in and follow my own dreams. Perhaps the act of breaking through the limitations of my own fears may in some way help lessen the gravitational pull of fear that affects all our lives?
So my invitation today is for us all to stand up and dare to follow our dreams - to take the next one small step that will move us forward in that direction. For me (and my dream of finding and using my voice) my next step is to commit this blog to my website. What about you? I'd love to hear from you. What are your thoughts on daring to dream? Together we are stronger so lets support each other as we take our one next step towards making our dreams a living reality.

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