Often, we do not hold big enough a vision for our lives, and only dream small dreams. I want to ask you: What is the biggest dream for your life? If you could accomplish anything (within reason), what would it be? Oprah Winfrey once held a contest on her show, and asked her viewers to send in their “Wildest Deams.” 77,000 responded. Yet, to put it simply, most dreams were quite underwhelming. There was a lot of “I want a big car; or I would like to come see you on your show, etc.” The “biggest” dreams were from a battered woman who needed a house of her own, and a dying woman who wanted to visit Egypt. Those were the best out of 77,000!
A lot of our dreams stay within the material realm, such as, “If only I could have a nice house; or go on a trip of a life-time; etc.” But our dreams set the direction of our lives! We strive after what we dream of. Sure, it is great to own a nice house, or go on a trip of a life-time. But should that really be the zenith of your life? While there is nothing wrong with dreaming of, say, a nice house, I ask you: should this be your highest aspiration?
On the other hand, think about everything great and remarkable that exists in this world! All this, at one time, also was a dream, an idea, in the mind of a person. If we look at the lives of many great people, such as Martin Luther King, Gandhi, Jefferson, Mother Theresa, or even Jesus, they all once had only a dream --a big dream-- of what could be, and then worked diligently to make it happen. Clearly, they had help along the way (and they worked hard on getting that help!), but still, whatever happened grew from this one dream!
Now, I believe in the human potential and that everybody can do truly great things; in my book “The Steps of Essence” I encourage you to do so! But not everybody can or is willing to do what these greats did. Yet each of us, at our own personal level, can do great things in our immediate environments, that may mean not just for yourself but also for those around you: your family, neighborhood, nation, or whatever level you choose. What you can take away from the greats mentioned above is that their dreams reached beyond their personal boundaries: for example, it was not just “I dream of a house for myself,” but “I dream of a ‘House’ (meaning, a nation of free and equal people) for all there is!”
Now that you understand more about dreaming big, I ask you again: What is your biggest dream that you would like to accomplish in your life? For yourself and your world? What do you want to bring to life in your world, and leave as a gift for those who follow? Don’t limit yourself by dreaming small dreams.
After that, ask yourself: what is stopping you from reaching this dream? How could you make this dream come true? What is missing in your life to get it done? And finally: What could I do today to get past this limit? Then go do it. (Admittedly, this is not easy and the whole second half of my book is dedicated to helping you with this.)
If you want to, leave a comment below, maybe we can discuss your dreams with others, and possibly find ways to make them come to life.
( Based on Be True, Be Happy and The Steps of Essence)
Namaste — I and the Divine in me bow to You and the Divine in You.
~Hanns
Copyright © Hanns-Oskar Porr