The Wisdom of Dreaming

It’s the fourth day of November and we just adjusted the clocks for standard time; that always conjures up an image of things coming to an end, the season being over, the cycle at its apogee.   It seems that way because we are in the closing months of the year,  the days are getting shorter, the sun is lower in the sky, the daily temperatures are getting lower, trees have lost their leaves, plants are going dormant or dying.  It evokes a frame of mind, the end of a cycle.

Yet we must recall that it is indeed a cycle and that this is neither an end nor a beginning but a natural progression of the passing of the present.  The game analogy doesn't fit because the game (life) isn't over, it isn’t finished,  the final reckoning hasn't taken place but it goes on and in a larger sense the cycle is eternal.

As I sit here and write this I am forcing myself to examine a process that I put in place about the time we went to Houston in 1985.  It consisted of making plans and setting goals on an annual basis and looking at it weekly to formulate objectives that would move toward the accomplishment of the larger annual goals.

It has been successful and after 25 or more years I can say it with confidence.  And yet one has to ask, to what degree has it been successful?  When one looks at an absolute scale of accomplishment, one can say that much more could have been done, more accomplishments, more fame, more fortune, more, more, more.  It is safe to say that what limits this one is his thinking.

The important realization that is being experienced here and now is that there is no end of the year.  There is no time limit set on what one wants to accomplish except those set by regulation and agreement with others, such as performance dates, tax reporting, license renewals, and start and end times of various events.

Our dreams, as we establish and pursue them, are a personal matter and not a matter of Goals, Objectives, Tasks, and the performance thereof; that comes later.  Rather they are stated desired end results  that become so well understood by the complete being that any and all pertinent personae are aware of them and working on them all the time.

We are part of the universal consciousness, which is collectively all of organized life, and things happen for us because we are tapped into it.  The clearer the dream, the more easily it is realized because we are more receptive to prompts from this universal consciousness. 

This phenomenon has been postulated as “The Secret” and the adherents of that as the complete answer would have one rely totally on concentration on dreams as the means of realizing them.  There are many examples of this and they are powerful endorsements of this concept. 

The setting of goals according to dreams, then plans and strategies to accomplish them is a cognitive process that adds to the probability of realizing dreams.  It is not, however, the only process that is in play.  There are other activities going on all around us that are also working toward the achievement of dreams.

Yet I look at the Ohio River and I can dream and concentrate from now on and there will never be a bridge over it.  The bridge comes when the dream is quantified, planned, and a viable strategy is put in place to accomplish it.  The same is true of individual dreams.  Universal consciousness may present opportunities for realizing them but the individual still has to do the work.

For dreams that don’t require quantification, that don’t require others to be involved on a conscious and rational basis, that are more of “state of being” rather than tangible results, they can be realized without an objective planning method.  As I look back on statements made over the years, it is obvious that I achieved that dream and went on, or achieved it and continue to enjoy it, or am still working to achieve it.  Then there are many more dreams that were achieved by setting specific goals, objectives, tasks, and accomplishing them according to some timetable.

While it is reaffirmed that there is no end of year in the cycle of life, it is still a good framework for reaffirming dreams and planning.  It must, however, be tempered with some judgment; such as staying open to opportunities that come one’s way and not be hidebound by statements made up to twelve months ago.

Such a framework also provides the basis for adjudging opportunities and the changes they may represent.  Without a well-constructed plan based on dreams and desires one could begin to meander through life with a new set of dreams and goals every other day.  When one has the aforementioned framework in place and is presented with what would seem to be a dramatic change of plan, one can quickly assess the possibilities that it represents and either embrace or refuse it.

Staying busy while waiting for opportunity to knock is also important.  It is to this end that one can develop a set of endeavors to be pursued; I have eighteen of them and they provide more than enough opportunity to be involved in doing something constructive as the present passes.  The only caveat that is necessary is that the priority of endeavors be maintained and Acting and Writing are more important than the others; in other words playing pool instead of going to rehearsal is not acceptable.

This has been a good exercise in examining what was considered to be ipso facto. Yet when questioned it came apart then back together again reaffirming what has been the practice but with some improvement.  The year is not the same as a game with a beginning and end of play but a continuing saga.  The realization of the pragmatic truth of realizing dreams; that a planning period is useful for reminding one of what he has set out to do and also be reminded to be flexible to embrace opportunities that arise.