Wednesday, February 6, 2013

8 Dream Slayers—Two Sides, Same Sword



Have you ever given thought to the words or false beliefs that kill your dreams before they have a chance to grow? No surprise, I have. What’s the saying, knowing is half the battle? I’m going to unsheathe this sword coated with all kinds of reflective discouragement.

Let’s have a look at eight common dream slayers…

I Can’t Do This
Defeated, discouraged, staring at the mountain ahead with dropped jaw and drooped shoulders. One of the best ways to guarantee you’ll freeze in place, paralyzed and unable to take another step, is to tell yourself you can’t move.

I Can Do This All on My Own
Flip the I Can’t Do This sword and you have the stubborn, “Back off, I’ve got this” mule-spirited, “I’m the only one who’ll do it right” belief that at the base of the mountain reveals nothing more than…a braying ass.

We all need help.

I Don’t Have the Right Tools or Enough Knowledge
Weakness. Fear. Inadequacy. Feeling less than. These can all be altered, adjusted, melted down into more useful and motivating feelings.

I Don’t Need to Learn Anything More as I Pursue this Dream
Flip it and you get…youch. Danger zone. Every single second we’re alive offers an opportunity to absorb, to acquire life-changing knowledge—dream-charging knowledge.

It’ll Take Too Much Effort
Okay, Eeyore, I get it, life gets hard sometimes.  Walking from one room to the next can feel like you’re carrying a million monkeys on your back. Time to fling off the monkeys. One at a time. Or as my good friend Bob would say, “Baby steps.” It’s how things get done.

I’ll Lean on Others to Carry Most of the Load
Come on and take a free ride, freeloader. This side of the sword paints the image of someone dumping bricks on all those around them as they build. No one likes to have bricks toppled over their head. They remember things like that. As my good friend Samwise says, “Share the load.”

This Will Take Too Long
For all those in the publishing biz, I smile with you. It’s a long and wiiiiiiiiiiiiiinding road for sure. One of the most rewarding things I’ve done during the wait time is remembering how enamored I am with writing. I work hard to appreciate writing for what it is and what it does and who it leads me to be before any publishing rewards come. We are here in the now—might as well make the best of it.

I’ll Make it Happen in a Cinch
Ha. Laughing with me yet? Easy peasy lemon squeezy my left foot. Dreams require work, time invested—heart and ruthless determination sometimes.

Delayed gratification. Releasing control. Expecting obstacles. Trusting God. All of these are good for the soul. They change us (for the better).

Can you think of some more dream slayers?

*photo by stock.XCHNG




6 comments:

  1. When I first started researching what it would take to get published, I came across an article by Michael Hyatt and he said that only about 2% of people who want to be published actually get published! I was shocked! My first thought was: only 2%? What's the point of even trying? But the thought that quickly followed was: Someone has to be that 2%! I'm going for it, because if I don't, there's a 100% chance I'll be in the 98% percent who doesn't get published. :)

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  2. Let's encourage each other into the 2%. I believe it for you. I believe it for me.

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  3. This post shines with brilliance!
    I'd never really thought of the "two sides of the same sword" aspect of what kills our dreams ... It's a tricky balance to achieve our dreams, isn't it?

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    1. Maybe it's because I came from two unique beings and I got passed dichotomous genes, but I find a lot of life pans out like this. I'm not really much of a black and white thinker, but I do think we can tip the scale more on one side when it comes to our dreams. I happen to be both wildly driven and insanely sensitive which makes for a complicated and heartfelt adventure.

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  4. Oh man, I think I've wrestled with all of these at one point or another.

    A dream slayer I've struggled with at times is "What if I'm not supposed to be doing this? What if I'm wasting my time, God's time? What if I'm pursuing the wrong dream?" I guess like all of the ones you listed, the solution comes down to trusting God...trusting that He's faithful to show us the open and closed doors...faithfully walking through the open ones even if we're not really sure where they'll lead...

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    1. I think you've bugged my brain. Lately, I feel more sure than ever about my vocation. It's a real trust thing and it's scary, and requires boatloads of patience. Good thing I like boats.

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