Our dreams and desires define us. Be they broken, scarcely remembered, on the verge of reality, or in full bloom. They pilot our choices. Dreams have the power to shape the entire landscape of our lives. Because they tend to be so precious and potent, many people keep their dreams and aspirations to themselves.
A dream is a very sacred thing to share.
If you knew someone’s dream, you might look at that person very differently…with more tenderness, more respect, more familiarity, and more wonder than before. Dream sharing melts boundaries, and it calls forth resources and commonalities.
Look at everyone you meet this week and actively think to yourself, “I wonder what their dream is?” Ask at least one person this week what their dream is. You can do it subtly and traditionally, like, “Where do you see yourself in five years?” or “What did you want to be when you were growing up?” Or you can just go for it, playfully and momentously, and ask, “So, like, what’s your big dream?” So many people never get asked that. And fewer are really listened to. And for those who are stumped by the question, I guarantee they’ll be thinking about it for days to come. Just the asking of that question sets essential things in motion.
The guy in the cubicle next to you may be working on a novel about unicorns and espionage. Your sister might be fantasizing about her own cabaret break out performance. Your postal carrier may be patenting the next great invention. Make no assumptions about your partner, your workmate, or the bus driver.
Small, mighty, seemingly impossible, or simply pure…when you know what someone’s dream is, your perspective leans toward openness. And every dream needs space to run.
Oh, my dream-stream…The Fire Starter Sessions is a stunning success in every way possible, and I’m wearing suede boots and big gold hoops on stage and laughing “you-know-what-I’m sayin’-don’tchya?” laughs with thousands of people.
And I dream of Morocco and France and a koi pond in the backyard of my mod pre-fab house. Collecting art. Magazine coverage. I dream about communion with my man that blows both our minds. I dream of sitting ’round a fire with leaders and lovers of progress. Being able to give yeses and make phone calls that open doors and new dimensions for people.
I dream of children being taught mindfulness in school and a movement of conscious birth choices and parenting and technologies that heal. And I dream of invitations that humble me and more magical connections with people I recognize on a cellular level, and we band together to leverage change and to support and care for each other in the way that reminds you how great it is to share space and time. And I dream of feeling more electric and sweet every single day.
But mostly, I dream of being amazed.
How ’bout you?
Danielle LaPorte is the outspoken creator of The Desire Map, author of The Fire Starter Sessions (Random House/Crown), co-creator of Your Big Beautiful Book Plan, and soon-to-be publisher of DANIELLE Magazine, launching in early 2014. An inspirational speaker, former think tank exec, and business strategist, she writes weekly at DanielleLaPorte.com, where over a million visitors have gone for her straight-up advice—a site that’s been deemed “the best place on-line for kick-ass spirituality” and was named one of the “Top 100 Websites for Women” by Forbes.
You can also find her on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter @daniellelaporte.
*Featured image by Maximillan
