Deliberate Day 1

When I was a child I dreamed of becoming ...

 

 

Wow!  You know, I could probably stop right there -- with that one sentence.

 

 

"When I was a child I dreamed of becoming."

If I had written instead, "When I was a child I dreamed of becoming  ______________," I might have filled in the blank with any number of different things depending on my age or how I felt on a given day, or what show I was watching on TV, or what play I was visiting with my class on a field trip.  Yep - any number of things - any number of dreams ... 

"When I was a child I dreamed of becoming _________ 

•  ... a wife." 
• ... a mom."
• ... a homemaker."
• ... a writer."

 

• If I think wayyyy back (okay, maybe not wayyyyyyyyyy back ... I'm not THAT old - geesh!) ... when I was young, during the Winter Olympics I always dreamed of becoming an ice skater. 
• When I went to see "The Nutcracker" performed with a group of my classmates while still in elementary school I dreamed of becoming a ballerina. 
• When I won running races (thinking back, I really was a fast little fart) I dreamed of becoming an Olympic track star - 50 yard dash!
• When I went to our local library I always enjoyed checking out magic books and I dreamed of becoming a magician. 
• I don't really know why but I even went through a stage where I dreamed of becoming a ventriloquist. 
• When my dad brought home hulu hoops I dreamed of being on the Mike Douglas show performing as the World's Greatest Hula Hoopist!  (ha - I never said I was a humble kid ... and ... is "hoopist" a word?!)
• When I realized I could come up with quippy comebacks I dreamed of becoming a stand up comedian, (Yep, really.  Hey, if it worked for Phyllis Diller ...)
• When I could make up a rhyme off the top of my head I dreamed of becoming the next Dr. Seuss (still a major dream, by the way).
• When I started piano lessons I dreamed of becoming a concert pianist.
• When my vocal teacher in high school told me I showed "real promise" I dreamed of becoming an opera singer.

 

Yes.  I've had many "dreams" along the way.  Thinking back on each dream makes me smile today.

 

There is a freedom in dreaming.  And, as children, I think we were more free to dream and in our imagination, we were without limitations.  For me personally, I didn't think in terms of what I couldn't become ... I simply thought in terms of what I dreamed of becoming.  Nobody ever told me I "couldn't" become. 

 

Did I stop dreaming?  I don't think so - I still have dreams.  It's fun to dream.  I like having something to look forward to and I like dreaming of what I want to do, who I want to be.  I am inspired by others, I am hopeful of the future, I like to plan and dream and try new things.

 

I like to dream. 

Think back on it - when you were little, do you remember being asked, "What do you want to be when you grow up?"  

 

What did you say?

 

And now, today, what do you dream of becoming?

 

Think about it -- DELIBERATELY!  ;-)

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*HOMEWORK:

1. Remember a time when you dreamed without limitations.  What did you dream of becoming?  Write some things down as they come to your mind.
2. What do you want to become today?  (The sky is the limit!)
3. Ken Medema has a song entitled, 'Is There A Place for Dreaming."  Google it (GREAT song!).

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

'It's never too late to be what you might have been."

[George Eliot]

 

  rdahlen