Hold on to your dreams

I grew up in an environment where I was encouraged to dream big and my assumption was that, of course, I would be part of changing the world.

I held on to these dreams through my 20s and into my 30s, and while I have lived and seen things beyond my expectations, there has always been a frustration in the back of my mind and heart that it didn’t quite work out the way I thought it would.

I married young and had my beautiful babies. I kept on going, but the flame died out a little as I couldn’t really imagine doing some of the things I had wanted to do as a young (er) woman, in the midst of nappies and playgroup and paying the bills.

To back up a bit, a great marriage and my children are my first dream. They are the reason I continue to dream about changing the world. However, I think we can, as women, lose sight of the things we once cared about, because we tend to give ourselves so fully to our families. While this is a wonderful thing, I think the world is a better place when we as wives and mums embrace the stretch and are fulfilled in the things we dreamt we would do as children.

I felt very passionately about issues of justice and oppression and came up with lots of ideas. I studied (I’m still studying!) and wrote things down, but it’s only recently, as I approach my 40s, that I feel the pieces of the puzzle are starting to come together.

Maybe my confidence needed to grow, maybe I needed to learn how to live a bigger life, maybe all the planets needed to align!! I don’t know, the seasons of life can take us by surprise sometimes.

So the next 12 months seem set for me to put my hand to some really exciting projects that I’ve wanted to see happen for a long time. The right people, the places, the finance and the timing all seem to be coming together and I wake up each morning with a buzz that helps me navigate the daily stuff that, without a dream, can feel like Groundhog Day!

I say all this by way of encouragement. If you find yourself losing sight of yourself and your dreams in the midst of what may seem like an endless treadmill of same-ness – hold on!
Even in a changing world and tough economic times, and maybe because of this, dreams can flourish.

Hang on to the dreams you had as a young person … write them down, share them with trusted friends and then wrap them up in tissue paper and wait for the right time for them to be opened.

A gift to the world …

Lv Jane