When I write, it usually starts with an idea. The ideas can come from almost anywhere, for example during sleep (which is a reason for sleeping with a notebook and a pen on my bedside table). Keeping a journal close to me at all times is a way of making sure that no ideas fall into lapse of memory.
Sometimes I start by picking a headline, but very often the headline changes in the end, or during the writing process. Like now: I thought about using “Chasing Your Dreams” or “Going After Your Dreams”, but instead, decided to simply pick “Living Your Dreams”. This because I believe chasing and going after are both actions that require being forceful, and when it comes to dreams, they either need to be fulfilled or quite simply, lived. Of course chasing and going after are options as well, but if it is a dream connected to your spirit, and your intention – you won ́t need to chase it. It will come to you, eventually, through LIVING in a way that eventually manifests everything that you truly want to achieve.
“What We Think, We Become. Our thoughts determine our reality.” (Gautama Buddha)
This reminded me of the story of a student and a Zen Master. The student, eager to learn, asked the Zen Master for guidance. The Zen Master invited the student to have a cup of tea, began to pour the tea into the cup – poured, poured, and poured, filling the cup until it was overflowing and the hot, boiling tea was spilled on the student’s lab.
Student: “Stop! The cup is overflowing. It is already full!”
Zen Master: “The cup is a symbol of your mind. You came here with a full mind. There was no place for anything new. A beginner ́s mind should never be full. Instead, it should always be empty, ready for new learning. How possibly can I teach you unless you first empty your cup?”
This lesson is good to remember at all times. We all come to the world to develop, learn, evolve, and grow. We all have it in us, the ability of being perfect as we are, but at the same time remembering that we can always learn something new, as long as we keep our minds open.
Taking time for meditation every day is a great way of improving one’s life in many ways. Not only does meditation have a positive impact on our health in many ways, but it also helps us empty our minds. This, in turn, gives space for ideas, thoughts, and dreams popping up in our minds which existence we might not even have been aware of.
To (re)discover your true dreams, start by emptying your mind, and see what a wonderful landscape your spirit consists of.
Anne-Maria Yritys 