Hold dreams firm and loose

I recently had the pleasure of hearing an entrepreneur friend’s ideas for the upcoming year. For me, getting a window into anyone’s dreams or vision is a gift.

Sharing dreams also benefits the dreamer. When you give voice to something you’ve kept to your own mind or heart, it becomes more real. That’s one reason dream creating and sharing is a key part of my programs for women. The practice benefits us all.

There was something about hearing this woman’s dreams and ideas that offered an added gift. I want to share with you today. 
 

How you hold your dreams matters

What struck me in this friend’s dreams were not the ideas themselves, but how she held them. She could name what she wanted with such conviction. I had no doubt she’d achieve her dreams, because it was clear she believed she would. 

Yet the dreams themselves were not one step from what she’d currently created. They were many steps away. New business lines, new customers. It was not more of the same. It was expanding in bigger ways. Equally clear to her conviction was how loosely she was holding the path to achieving her dreams. As she shared them, she had no idea how she’d make them happen. 

She was holding her dreams both firm (they would happen) and loose (she wasn’t sure how).

Sharing this learning with one of my facilitators (hey, Kristin) deepened the insight. She mentioned the military has a saying “plan tight, run loose.” Know the mission, but be ready to abandon your plan on the ground. The field may demand a different approach, but all boots on the ground need to know the mission.  
 

The gift of loose holding

When you give yourself permission to hold the how loosely, you can hold the what tighter. It's vulnerable to want something and not know how you'll get it. If you let that tension be part of the process, you’re able to be creative and bold with what you want. When you expect yourself to know how you’ll achieve your dreams, you’ll keep your dreams small. If your dreams for your future are things you could meet today, your life will have little growth.

The gift of firm holding

When you hold your dreams firm, you enroll a large expanse of support. When you believe your dreams, your brain will search for paths to achieve them. When you're willing to share them with others, as my friend did with me, they'll look for pathways, too. The more often you share your dreams — with others and with yourself — the greater support you'll enroll.

Call for reflection: 

What do you really want? What new dreams emerge when you hold the how loosely?

Shine On, 

Alicia