“I’m ignoring my problems and I’m paying attention to my dreams”
That’s a little throw-away line from will-i-am. It hits me in the gut. It feels so simple and pure genius too.
I’m not entirely sure about the “ignoring” part. Unprocessed stuff can jump out and bite you later but I know even that makes some sense.
It’s embarrassing to admit that I’ve been focusing on my problems a lot lately. I can tell you that it doesn’t help. It sucks. It’s sucks you into a black hole of misery and despair. Want to join me? No, I didn’t think so.
When you focus intensely on your problems they become your world. Problem World is no place to hang out for long. It smells, it’s slimey, there are shifty characters in those dark winding passages.
Let’s get out of Problem World. How could we ignore our problems and pay attention to dreams?
Stop
Do you hear yourself recycling the same old tired stories? Think of a great big stop sign. Stop it. It’s not going anywhere good. Just stop.
Do a U-turn
How could you turn this mood around? How could you focus on what’s good? What is good right now? What would you really like to happen? What good outcomes are possible? What good things can you imagine?
Daydream actively
Did you daydream as a kid? I did. I could drift off into a little dream where I was the star ballerina, the circus performer under the big top, the centre of the show. Try it now. If you had what you want, how would it look and feel and taste and be?
What if?
What were the details of that daydream? Which parts feel like home to you? Write a “could do” list full of possibility.
What will you do?
Which little thing will you do? What will you choose? What might give you a taste of that dream?
Become a dreamer again
Being called a dreamer is often an insult. It’s ok when we’re kids but at some point we’re supposed to grow up. Does that sound right?
The big dreamers make a difference in the world. They want something better. They change the real world.
miss yardley 