Follow Your Dream

How many times have you heard that advice given?

Recently on television I watched a famous dance instructor, with glowing confidence, and the smile of someone who had made it in life, saying to all her viewers, “Follow your dreams”. There was also a hint of, don’t give up, press on through early difficulties.

I believe it wasn’t actual dreams she was talking about, but the urgent sense of doing something with their life, and following a great interest and inner urging that was being recommended.

Unfortunately, that is exactly what people who seek out children to sexually molest them feel – an urgent and pressing inner urging. Also, those who are urgently following their inner sense of their destiny to bomb or shoot the public because of their religious beliefs. Or even those who are capable of doing outrageous thing with a gun, because of a long planned attack, following their dream.

There are other drives too

Like those who dream of grabbing as much of the world’s riches without any care for others, and with no desire to give any of it back. We see this at work so often as happened during the last great financial crash, and when bosses of companies run it into ground and knock the pension funds to bits because they pocketed all the money. That is at work in our society and individuals in incredible numbers. Amazing dreamers.

Years ago, I worked as a therapist with a young Jewish doctor. All his life he had dreamt of being a doctor, and had worked hard to achieve it. But as we dug deeper into him he uncovered with shock his motivation. His mother and father were the only survivors of both families of Hitler’s massive destruction, and the doctor realised that the motive behind his work and dream to become a doctor was that because he was a doctor, he would be the last one thrown of the boat.

He felt so shocked he wanted to give up his work as a doctor, but when he realised that he had the skill of a good doctor, he carried on.

You too

Most of us who give a great deal of effort to reach a goal have such strange motives. As I was undergoing personal therapy I saw, also with shock, that the reason I wanted to become an acknowledged therapist was because I suffered low self-esteem, and felt I would be seen as someone of importance. I too felt I wanted to stop the work I was doing, but also realised I had developed useful skills.

So, take thought when someone tells you enthusiastically to follow your dreams.

Dreams Can Help

But dreams, from my experience, are grea truth tellers. Not dreams such as those mentioned above that arise out of personal desire, traumas and misshandled parenting, but dreams we have during the night. If you want to find what is your real destined or chosen path, start a dream journal an take the time and spent your energy exploring your many dream.

Example: a few years ago and kept a journal religiously, but lost interest and stopped noting my dreams. During a major cleanup this weekend found my dream diary and was stunned to see many dreams were signs of what followed in my life years after. Most of them at that time didn’t make any sense but now I’m quite curious.

See Dream Journal Diary

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