Artwork by Christine Soja
Sometimes I like to think about how everything I am looking at, was either created by mother nature, or by a human. Everything in my house, in my drawers, in the shops, was first somebody’s idea.
Somebody thought “Hey, glue should come in a stick form!” somebody thought “Let’s make black pencils!” - these ideas, these relics of human life all started as ideas. Sometimes these ideas are powerful and alter the course of humanity “Let’s create the internet!” and sometimes these ideas are disastrous “Let’s make things we need temporarily out of plastic which lasts FOREVER,” or seem silly at best, “If only I had a paperclip shaped like a unicorn…”
My point is that if everything was created by someone, then us humans are powerful beings. We can turn our ideas into reality, and I know we ALL have that ability.
Us humans are idea and creation machines. We have ideas, tons of them, and most of them we discount before they are even discussed with another person. This isn’t really in relation to the quality of the idea, it’s more a reflection of our willingness to say or do something others might consider weird. Our willingness to be vulnerable.
YOU have lots of good ideas. I know you do. Your ideas might be ways to make your days smoother, or maybe even revolutionize how we do things on a larger scale. We certainly need new ideas for our systems and institutions.
I KNOW you also have ideas that are closer to your heart. These we call dreams. We dream of one day… and then we quickly come up with a dozen reasons why this dream isn’t worth any more consideration. Some die quickly, but others are more resilient. They keep popping up. These dreams are particularly sticky, you think you’ve rationalized them to death, but there they are, sneaking up on you in the shower, on your run, or at 3 am.
One of my dreams is to have a job where I just get to write down my ideas and share them with others. Put out my random thoughts, observations and insights and share them with others. I had this dream before the internet, before blogging, before social media. For years and years I wrote just for myself, in my journal, and sometimes as letters to my sister or other friends when we scattered for college.
We don’t take action on our ideas because they feel overwhelming. We talk ourselves out of our dreams because we don’t want to be judged, or we worry it will require uprooting our family, or quitting jobs that provide medical coverage. So we pretend the dream isn’t there, or maybe we’ll get to it someday, when the time is better... When things get uncomfortable we work really hard to change the way we feel, instead of trusting the feeling and the thought creating it, and seeing where it leads.
But what if the future was UNKNOWN? (It is!)
And what if things are possible that are beyond your imagination? (They are!)
So before you tell me all the reasons you can’t, I want to introduce the baby step, or the micro-movement.
Take whatever your dream is and cut it down by half, then again then again then again until you are left with something that will take less than 10 minutes and put it on your calendar. Really, write it down. Then do that thing on the day and time you said you would. Then, repeat, repeat, repeat, forever and ever.
Your critical brain will not be good at this, you will have to practice.
For example: “My dream is to become an artist who has international shows and whose work supports her lavish lifestyle.”
Half - become an artist - Brain, “oh man this means sign up for classes and finishing my degree and I’m too old and who has time for that…”
Half - what kind of art do I want to make? Paintings - Brain “but I don’t have a studio, time, or skills!”
Half - Do you have paint? No
Micro-step - go to the art supply store and buy three tubes of paint on Tuesday after work.
That I can do. When that step is complete, I will take another micro and another micro-step until...who knows! Who knows where it will lead but that is not the point. Maybe the end goal isn’t to become a world famous artist, but maybe I will meet a person in line at the art supply store who will become a great friend and confidant. WHO KNOWS?!?!?
What I do know is, we just have one life to live, and our dreams are real, and bringing them into reality is our job.
Micro movements don’t take much time, energy, or planning, all of the things we say we lack. Once we begin taking these steps, the beliefs that we can’t do the thing start melting in the face of actual proof that we are moving forward.
An unfulfilled dream feels like a pervasive dissatisfaction with how you spend your time, or deep envy of someone you think has it better than you, or could be some unknown force waking you up in the middle of the night. Your dream wants your attention.
Action Steps:
Set a time for 5 minutes and as fast as you can write (not type!) answers to the following: “If I knew I wouldn’t fail I would…”
Schedule an hour or two to take yourself on a solo date. (It will actually you and your creativity, but it will just appear to be you by yourself.) Wander around the forest, your neighborhood, downtown shops, a gallery or museum and let your body lead. What are you drawn to? What makes your heart jump? Take photos, jot down ideas, and repeat as often as you are able.
Send me your creative dream, I will believe you. And if you are stuck, I can send you your next micro-movement.