The big Idea

Sometimes we dare to dream, we come up with ideas and hopes that seem greater than what we are capable of. Something that feels like it only exists in the imagination, but isn't the dreams and the imagination essentially the conception of anything?

What is it that makes an idea so great that we choose to try and forge it into reality? Is it the idea itself, the hope and love of the idea or is it the absence of fear that takes us to new places?

There are dreams that come and go in life, some dreams we leap on, some dreams we watch fade away into the distance like sunsets only to never rise again.

So what is the difference?

For me it's about the excitement of an idea outweighing the fear, that idea becomes too great and that fear fails to flutter its existence in this space. It might show up with its sporadic thoughts of negativity to tell me, how impossible the dream is, how unlikely the end goal really is from the moment I am in now. And ultimately it always is. As end goals from dreams are always huge, they are impossible to do in the now, and therefore unlikely and impossible. If we look at any big idea, or plan its always broken down into smaller tiny goals and landmarks that lead to the existence of what is possible. If we look at potentially being a doctor, it seems like a big place to get to, you want just wake up one day and start practising because thats how you feel (how unethical would that be). Rather we break everything down into smaller goals, tiny milestones to make it past and move on. In the case of becoming a doctor, it would be broken down to years of study, those studies down to courses, the courses themselves broken down to a series of assignments, the assignments could be sectioned into parts and pieces, broken down further into word by word. One word at a time on assignment, slowly chipping away at courses eventually leads to the outcome of being a doctor. All ideas, dreams and outcomes operate with the same structure, they slowly with time and effort can ultimately be done in small parts and pieces that lead to a huge outcome, and the dream becomes the reality.

Its curious what is it that separates the dream ideas that come to fruition and the ones that get filtered out and left behind.

For me there is a fear exists in what I often feel “I have to do”, however the more I focus on the those feelings and wonder who it is who decides what it I have to do the more I am able to focus and hone in on my ideas and dreams and make them happen. There is sometimes an irrational fear that occurs with some of the dreams, “what if I fail” “what if I get hurt” “what if…..” Doesn't really matter what you put on the end of that what if sentence they could also be easily reframed to “what if I am so happy” “what if everything works out “ they are all reasonable endings, and neither is more likely to occur, however it is easier to focus on one compared to the other.

So why do I and maybe others fill our heads with these impossible and possible possibilities and does it ultimately matter? I think the things we put energy into matters and the less energy I put into those fears and uncertainty the more energy I have for building dreams and creating. It reminds me of the fable of the difference between the white belt and the black belt, as you receive a white belt on your first day when you show up, people often wonder how do you get the back belt, how much training is it, what has to be done, how does one reach the illusive black belt? And the answer is so simple “A black belt is a white belt who never gave up” dreams are the same you can start with a goal in mind, and then to achieve it, it's just perseverance and never giving up, moving past the hurdles and road blocks. The other interesting quote that comes to mind is “The white belt is the hardest belt to get” and you might be thinking, But if I show up to class I will get that belt? They would be 100% correct if you go to that first class you might get that belt, but how many people don't even show up and take the step to doing that first class? There is a power that comes with taking that first step. Maybe all dreams are the same maybe the key to making dreams reality starts with taking that first step to making that reality happen, go and get your white belt and start the journey to dreams.