There is a fine line between persistence and refusing to accept reality. --Tim Leatherman, founder of Leatherman Tools, in reference to his 8 year endeavor to sell his first tool

When I heard Tim Leatherman say these worlds last week to a room full of engineering professionals and students, I grabbed my pen and paper. I don’t think that statement was calculated or prepared; it just flew from his lips when asked a question about frustration and wanting to give up when he hadn’t sold a tool after many years of trying.

I thought about my life. Would I keep working on the same thing for 8 years without a single “bite?” Do I have enough passion and drive and belief in what I do to keep at it that long?

Sometimes we give up because the road to where we’re going gets rough. Other times, we refuse to accept reality even when conditions look bleak.

How do we know if it’s time to quit?

I can’t say I have a clear answer, but one thought comes to mind: if deep in your heart you hear a YES, keep going. It doesn’t matter what anyone else says, if it feels right to you deep down, it’s right.

What do you think?

Photo courtesy of Rebecca via Flickr
 

You have really great days and you have tough days. I think that if you’re participating in a sport for the right reasons..., when you have those tough days and those trying moments, your love for what you do is going to get you through it.

I was watching some Olympic recaps and heard gold medalists Evan Lysacek say that to Oprah when she asked him “What would you say to the young skaters out there?”

I choose to believe that each one of us can have as much love for what we do in our lives as this man has for his sport. I don’t believe that this love is reserved for Olympic and professional athletes, actors, singers, and Oprah. I think we can all feel this love.

If you’re in a job you don’t love, why are you there? I’m sure you have plenty of logical reasons. How does your heart feel when you spend your days doing something that doesn’t fill you up?

Just for a moment, consider that it is possible to feel the same way Evan does about his “job.” What could you do to make that your reality? Are you willing to take even a tiny step in that direction?

Photo courtesy of dev null via Flickr

Dreams were not something I planned to mention in my blog. It just came up, so I went with it. Today I will share my dream history.

The first dream I remember having is a Tom and Jerry dream. I'm sure you remember that cartoon. I loved it when I was young. In the dream I was Jerry, and I was being chased into the hole in the baseboard by Tom. I was scared. That’s all I remember.

Fast forward about twenty-some years to September 11th. Vivid images on the television, in the newspapers, all over the internet. Stories about the invasion of Afghanistan. Then Iraq. Bombs. Death. Fighting.

Shortly after our country was in full-blown war in the Middle East, my dreams became a dangerous place for me to be. I was in the middle of war zones, I was being attacked, I was having to fight back. I do not believe I was ever killed, but man, I was scared.

Night after night, endless nocturnal terror. When I would awake, I would be mentally exhausted. I stopped watching, listening to, or reading any news.

My violent dreams continued. Three or four years later, someone suggested to me that violent dreams can mean that part of the dreamer is dying, metaphorically speaking. The killing in the dream was representing the death of a part of myself.

Despite this information, the violence did not stop. It took another four years for my violent dreams to shift. Two things made it happen.

1. I learned how to interpret them.
2. I listened to their messages and started making changes in my life.

The suggestion was correct that the violence in my dreams indicated that a part of me dying. The true me, the person I am deep down inside, was dying. The true me was getting lost while I was trying to please others. She was dying because I was giving myself to a job and a company that did not serve my highest interests. She had no sense of who she was because I learned to conform to a mold of social and societal pressures. Now that I think about it, those things could kill anyone.

As I took the time to interpret my dreams, the violence in the night began to lessen. Some nights were still terrifying, but not every night. I was listening to and understanding their messages.

Fast forward to the spring of 2009. Within my final weeks at the office, the violence disappeared completely from my dreams. I heard the message that was being shouted at me for eight years. I left my job. I stopped killing my soul.

Now my dreams have taken a new turn. My mind is busy every night, creating new adventures rich with meaning. I take the time to learn their lessons.

Are you ready to find the wisdom in your dreams?

We can all remember a memorable dream or two in our lives. Do you have recurring dreams, do you take a new adventure every night, or do you rarely remember what happened during your sleeping hours?

I dream a lot. Many dreams every night. Vivid, rich, and potent.

Did you know that dreams can offer fresh insight about our inner world and what next steps to take on our journey? To unearth those insights, I use a dream interpretation process originally defined by Carl Jung and later modified by Martha Beck.

When I quit my job four months ago, my dream time became hyperactive, as it usually does for me during times of change. I hadn’t been taking the time to interpret them regularly. Since they weren’t stopping, I knew I needed to listen to what they were trying to tell me. This past Saturday I finally dove into the depths of my dreams to uncover their messages. I had been reluctant because the process is time-consuming and occasionally challenging, especially because I have so many detailed dreams each night.

When I awoke on Saturday, I lay very still in bed, pulling the dream memories from my slumbering mind into my conscious mind. I pictured all of the scenes and heard all of the conversations from the night. Once I gathered as much as I could remember, I rolled toward my notebook on the bedside table and started writing. My dreams were captured and ready to be tamed.

I got out of bed, shuffled to the kitchen, brewed a fresh cup of coffee, grabbed my notebook and pen, and settled in my favorite chair.

Slowly and methodically, I deciphered the meaning of the green car, the yoga pose, the baby boy who ate beans and rice, the huge shower stall, Paul’s swim trunks, and many other symbols that appeared during my midnight adventures. I uncovered some relevant messages from my sleeping self:
- Stable and balanced energy is what will grow my business.
- I am supported.
- Working too hard will hinder my progress.

To you, those may sound like nonsense. To me, they are clear messages from my wise inner self who knows exactly what I need to do.

Where clear messages failed to come through, I was left with questions to ponder:
- Where in my life am I being shy and hidden, afraid to be exposed?
- Where am I not accepting what is given to me, exactly what I need, for fear of being embarrassed?

I will take those questions to my journal when the time feels right, and I will allow free writing to guide me to the answers.

I find dream interpretation rich and rewarding. It provides me with wisdom from my nocturnal chaos.

I use dream interpretation with clients, when they are interested and willing. They, too, if their minds are open to it, find the process rewarding and exciting. We have so much inner wisdom available to us if we take the time to listen.

Are you ready to find the wisdom in your dreams?

P.S. Only you can interpret your dreams. To me, a snake could represent my neighbor, but to you, a snake could mean ... well, something a little more Freudian.