A Kinder Way

Every time I say the words ‘What’s your dream’  I say it in the voice of actor Abdul Salaam El Razzac. He was the man in Pretty Woman who said this:

‘Welcome to Hollywood! What’s your dream?’

His words have stuck with me all these years because while he was making the point that every person that comes to Hollywood has these lofty dreams of being successful in a world where so few are, his words are also relevant to all of us.

We all have a dream. Or several if we really take the time to think about it. I know I could easily make a list of dreams I hope to accomplish.

Here’s the question. How often do I put forth the energy it will take to get to my Hollywood?

Not nearly enough.

Why?

Fear.

Fear of not being able to do it. That is an incredibly powerful fear.

Today I was inspired to get back to my blog and write a post about dreams. When I logged into WordPress I saw that my widget for Instagram was not working. Instead of writing the post, I was excited to write, I put that aside and decided to try to fix it. I spent 30 minutes trying to log into my Instagram account.  I forgot my password and Instagram will not let me reset it. Each time I tried I was left feeling more defeated.

So how does this play out in real-time?

-Feeling inspired to follow my dream.

-Log in to write a post.

-See that Instagram is not loading on the sidebar.

-Decide to fix it.

(Now I am moving away from the dream of writing and getting caught up in fixing something irrelevant)

-Stomach starts to get sick because technology is not my jam.

-Frustration at myself for not writing down the password because I know I forget things AND also at Instagram for not working.

-Irritation that now I have wasted the time that I’d set aside to write this post.

-Feelings of shame for being defeated by a password.

-Thoughts of just closing my computer and walking away without writing.

Then….Clarity.

-Why does a preview of Instagram matter?

-Why am I letting this slow my roll?

-Why does my inability to log into a social media platform have any power over my ability to write a post?

Answer…. It doesn’t!

All of this is just a glimpse into the hiccups that we allow to stop our momentum.  We all do it. We all prioritize things that are way less important than our true dreams and goals because, to be frank, it’s easier.

It’s easier for me to spend 30 minutes trying to log into Instagram than it is to come back here for the millionth time to bare my soul in hopes of connecting with others and even potentially helping someone else strive for their dream.

It’s scary as hell to put yourself out there. To say, Hello Mr. Abdul Salaam El Razzac.  My dream is to be a social worker, writer, photographer, poet, artist, life coach, etc.

To own our dream and bravely run with it without fear of judgment, or lack of talent, or comparison, or failure, can feel overwhelming, insurmountable, unattainable, unrealistic, impossible, or even just really, really, freakin’ hard. 

My challenge to you (and to myself) is to go after your dreams in spite of feeling these things.

What matters is that we make the choice to own it. That’s it. Just start there. Own it.  Take up space. Put it out into the Universe. Stake your claim on the outcome. Ya know, fake it till you make it kinda stuff.

So, I’ll ask you. What’s your dream?

Xoxo Nichol