Dreams, Ambitions, and Change

I think dreams and ambitions can spring positive vibes, give a purpose/direction to my thinking, and expand my horizons. Goals can sharpen the focus and fuel the drive to make things happen. However, I can think of times in the past when they might have created stress and anxiety. The expectations can create pressure, sapping some of the energy, fun, and happiness. I think handling changes is also part of it. I am sharing my thoughts on it in this article.

My extract on this in a nutshell: Am I connecting with the fullness and abundance that is always inside me? It can give me insights, direction, and drive. My ego can create a scarcity mindset and reactive thinking patterns, muddying the waters: can I keep it in my active self-awareness?

There is a voice from inside that is always there to intuitively guide me. Do my dreams, goals, and initiatives resonate with it, or are they conflicting?

When I tune into my intuition and ripples from inside, I become part of the unfolding universal magic. It connects me to the universal consciousness full of limitless enrichment, happiness, potential, magic, bliss, peace, love, creativity, positive energy, enthusiasm, warmth, healing, and nurture. There is an inner compass always available to guide me.

Shakti Gawain: To whatever degree you listen and follow your intuition, you become a creative channel for the higher power of the universe.

Ideas that I think naturally help me identify with the space of abundance:

• Think of ways to contribute, help others, and give. Make a positive difference in the big picture. Am I ever so little doing something that creates a positive ripple in my immediate circle and hopefully even beyond that?
• Lose myself into creating/doing something that feels right, makes me happy, gives me positive vibes, or expands my horizons somehow.
• Cultivate and tap into my creativity.
• Have the child-like curiosity to soak up new ideas.
• Create a positive story from the inside. There could be challenges, demanding situations, and a pull of energies/acts from the past. Is my narrative steering me towards a positive change or direction while navigating it all?
• Can I be my best friend instead of being hard on myself? A constructive, nurturing, positive dialog inside unlocks all good things.

My ego is on a mission to create a cocoon to protect me from threats. In the process, it also isolates me from the collective abundance.

If I embark on an initiative to get something that I lack materially in the external world, I am setting myself up for a wild chase of desires and expectations. The perceived lack is a product of my reactive thinking patterns conditioned by external conditions.

If I do something for social status/recognition from others, I am playing into the reactive ego patterns. It can turn into a chase or sprint with no end to it while also creating stress and conflict from the inside.

If I aim to avoid or run away from something, it can take me to a virtual world not connected with reality. It can open a can of worms with friction, denial, stress, worries, etc.

If I set a goal to control others or hoard things, I am playing right into my ego’s fears and reactive patterns. It will disconnect me from the inner abundance, harmony, and natural happiness.

What if the current situation seems too overwhelming, challenging, or difficult? What if routine turns into a fire drill that is forcing me to react?

Ideas that help me:

• Gratitude – Being alive is nothing short of a miracle: breathing happens, food metabolizes, the rhythm of heartbeats continues, I can walk, I can run, I can speak, I can listen, I can see, I can think. If nothing else, be grateful for that. When I keep an open mind to see my countless blessings – family, friends, roof to live, ability to learn, etc. – it opens space inside me, allowing the abundance of the universe to trickle in my physical world.
• Find reasons to smile.
• When I am able, slow down a bit. Have time to think and reflect. It can connect with bearings from inside.
• Find time for ideas that give positive vibrations and happiness from inside – writing, reading, music, sports, running, cooking, painting, coaching, talking with friends, etc.
• Give, help/validate others using small, specific nudges – it connects with my inner abundance, even if momentarily.
• Have a sense of humor.

My thoughts, emotions, and built-up energy field from my actions so far (karma) can have an overwhelming pull to trap myself inside the cocoon of my reactive thinking patterns and the resulting scarcity mindset. There is no magic wand or an overnight miracle. It is an active, ongoing process to keep my thinking in conscious awareness and identify with my inner abundance. The good news is it is always there to guide me as soon as I connect with it.

The paradigm I got from Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth to look at any living moment in one of the following three ways I think can help me stay in the space of abundance naturally.

1. ACCEPT: Accept a trying circumstance or a not-so thrilling experience as is rather than complaining about it, resisting it, denying it, or getting frustrated by it.
2. ENJOY: Enjoy routine tasks staying aware and present in the current moment. That can bring magic to the mundane.
3. ENTHUSIASM: Engage in initiatives that bring excitement and enthusiasm for me from the inside.

Can I see/experience/live the current moment through one of these three lenses – accept, enjoy, or enthusiasm?

The climate around me is evolving, so change is inevitable. It is an opportunity to expand my ability to respond, create, envision, and connect with others.

My five ripples on it.

1. Have an open mind and embrace changes as they come. Be aware of my ego feeling threatened by it and raising the guard to deny/resist it.
2. Have a beginner’s mindset to take the next moment as it is without tainting it with my past biases and assumptions.
3. Stay humble: a healthy dose of humility can do wonders. I loved Steve Jobs’ message at Stanford Commencement in 2005 – Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish.
4. Be a witness to the inner weather of emotions, feelings, and thoughts – detach from them and let them pass through my internal space of awareness rather than being swept away by them or fighting with them, or resisting/denying them.
5. I proactively look for opportunities to transform myself with new ideas and initiatives before the situation changes into an emergency or fire drill where I am under duress/stress/worry/fear/anxiety. In this way, I am not reacting with my ego. I am instead transforming myself following through using my inner compass.

Dreams and ambitions can be energizing and empowering when they emerge from my natural inner flow rather than chasing external things.