Dream, Choose, Act, Allow

An experimental process for getting what you really want. Shall we try it?

“As far as I can tell, it’s just about letting the universe know what you want and working toward it while letting go of how it might come to pass.” — Jim Carrey, during his commencement speech to Maharishi University’s class of 2014

Dream

What’s your dream? This can feel like an intense question, but the answer will come easily if you let it. What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you ask yourself that? There’s your starting point. For me, I dream of having financial freedom so that I don’t have to waste any more energy thinking about money.

Close your eyes, have a breath, and ask yourself: “What’s my dream?”

In this dream, imagine that you have everything you need. That may include feelings of fulfillment, abundance, confidence, joy, wholeness, acceptance, connectedness, and love. Once you have everything you need, dream about the world you want to live in.

Instead of imagining this dream as existing sometime in the future, have the dream right now. When you dream in your sleep, it feels like it’s happening in the present, doesn’t it? Your daydream can feel the same way. And by imagining that your dream is real, you can make it real. Really.

If you think that’s bullshit, what would be the harm in letting go of that foregone conclusion and giving this a try? Would you rather limit your capability than be wrong? I know from experience that being right is self-indulgent and overrated.

Push buttons or push ink, doodle, write gibberish, whatever. Just keep going. Write it in the present tense. Instead of “I will have everything I need”, try “I have everything I need”. Don’t worry about it “doing it right”, you can go back and change this at any time. Don’t put any pressure on yourself, and the words will almost write themselves. If you don’t know what to say, you can write “I don’t know my dream” over and over until you start writing something else. Without even thinking about it, you’ll have an answer.

Start now and you’ll have something in no time. We’ll be here when you’re done.

Once you have something written down or drawn out, close your eyes and imagine yourself living in this world you’ve envisioned. Live in this world for no fewer than three minutes. Don’t set your watch, and don’t open your eyes until you’ve lost yourself in this new world and you have no doubt that three minutes have passed. See you back here in a few.

Choose

Ask, “What can I now do to help my dream come true?” The fact is, thought alone does not change reality. Action is necessary. However, you do not have to do everything yourself. The more you act, the more support you’ll get, often in ways you won’t imagine or even notice.

Write the question in the middle of a blank page and write answers all around it. This collage of words is called a “mind map”, and it works better than a simple list because it does not create a false sense of order or priority. The first answer you have to the question won’t be the best one, so it shouldn’t be at the top of the list.

Choose the action that you most want to do today.

Act

Whatever idea you chose, do it now (or as soon as you finish this article). If it’s not possible do now, pick a time in the next 24 hours to do it.

Each day, go back to your mind map and choose your action of the day. Some ideas will need to be done day after day. Once you get into the rhythm of doing it daily, add another action. It is counterproductive to pile pressure onto yourself to do a lot right away. Your subconscious will work against you the next day and you’ll feel discouraged that you haven’t sustained the change. Baby steps, baby!

Allow

Let us help. The universe loves to surprise you, so let go of any expectations of what the future will bring. Expectation sets you up for disappointment. There are infinite ways for your dream to become real, and your expectation is only one possibility. If you are busy anticipating one thing, you won’t notice all of the other ways you are being supported. On the rare occasion that you are correct in what you expect, you won’t be as excited as if you expected nothing.

Instead of worrying about getting what you want the way you want it, notice the good things in your life, and take time to say “Thank you”. When you appreciate what you have, the universe gives you more, and you will notice more to be grateful for.

If your dream isn’t coming true the way you wanted it to, maybe it’s not quite what you really want. What might be the unintended consequences of your dream? How could you modify your dream so that it would be more beneficial for you and the world as a whole?

Reread and revise your dream often. The more you do, the more quickly you will learn what you really want, and the more quickly you can receive it.

Please share your dream and your experiences with this experiment. Thank you for reading!