How often in life do we hear a strong ‘Call to Adventure’?
And how often do we squash that call, rationalising it away in a pool of doubts, fears, and lack of confidence? Perhaps we feel it’s foolish to dream that way, and that success only happens for other people. Perhaps we carry an underlying belief that we’re not good enough. Maybe others continue to tell us that, but are we going to let that define us?
Most of us know what it feels like to have unmet longings. We know what it feels like to have at some point or other in our lives, locked away our dreams in favour of “being realistic.” I often speak to people in the course of my work who reveal to me their childhood dreams; dreams of being an artist, a singer, a traveller of the world, a successful leader of their own business, an aid worker doing great things for humanity etc, and yet when I ask “and did you do that”, the answer is almost always ‘no’.
Often that NO we hear comes in the form of somebody else’s voice or opinion that we have internalised and made our own. “It’s not sensible”, “nobody does that”, “you’ll never earn a proper living”, “it’s irresponsible!” Recognise any of those?
If you’re anything like me, some of those will be more than familiar, and yet isn’t it ironic that when we reconnect to that deep inner voice, many of these longings are still there, waiting to be acknowledged. The older we get, and the more security we build around us, the more we feel there is to lose in responding to those calls, and yet ignoring them seems to make us suffer.
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What if we began to listen to those soul longings and dreams?
And what if we allow them to gather momentum? What beliefs do we hold around any projected imaginary outcome and can we work through those to give our dreams the ‘breathing space’ they are calling for?
If we acknowledge these callings, there is a real possibility that we are in fact way more resourceful then we could ever imagine, and that we have the capacity to fully realise our dreams. By strengthening our determination in sharing with people who love and support us, perhaps by saving up and creating a safe landing place to come home to, or perhaps by letting go of outworn habits and routines, we can begin to feel the flurry of excitement we once knew as children. We may understand that we could finally be able to reach for our heart’s true desires.
One thing is for certain, ignoring the call doesn’t make the call go away, it will usually just resurfaced in other ways. Are you on the edge of change? Are you seeking community where you can be truthful and free with the expression of your dreams?
