Nightmare!
Last night I woke up with my heart pounding hard in my chest. I had just dreamed that we were in civil war over resources. My loved ones in battle with me. My Beloved and our child at risk.
I was so afraid as we went home, locked our doors and turned out the lights knowing that at any moment, a mob could break down the door and come kill us. My body shook with fear from my inconsolable terror. It was so real!
“Be still, my heart.” I told it as it pounded away furiously when I awoke. “Be still, my heart.” It started to slow, and after a few more times soothing it, it’s rhythm returned to normal.
My beloved woke up, and I told him of my dream. “I hope we don’t go to war.” I said. “So do I.” he replied and fell back asleep.
Due to the nightmare, I could not sleep right away. My mind was too full as I thought about all the bad news being shared on TV and on social media.
Then a thought struck me. “Why wait for a default nightmare to happen? Why not create something beautiful out of this situation instead?”
I thought of the things I had been focusing on and doing and decided, in the morning I must clarify my dream so that it has much more power than the nightmare.
Remembering Back to 2019
The next morning I thought of all the different leadership and personal development training courses I’ve done over the years and how one of my teachers just last night said, “This is what you have been training for!”
I thought of the Tough Mudder obstacle course that my Beloved Jeffrey, my brother Jake, our friend Jose’ and I went on in 2019.
At Tough Mudder there were 26 obstacles including ropes, heights, cold water plunge and lots of mud. None of these were a problem for me.
However, there were two obstacles which had electric shock in them, and I have had a phobia of electricity ever since I was shocked by an electric fence when I was 12.
One was a tunnel people crawled through and the other was a big space with wires dangling down. The previous year there was only the big space, and I had totally lost it when I tried to go through.
Facing My Fear
For the course in 2019 I had prepared myself the best I could to face my fear again, but when it came to the electric tunnel, I could not bring myself to follow through.
I tried twice and backed out, just standing in line letting others go through. My small team had made it through and tried encouraging me to, but in vain, so they came back to the start with me.
My friend Jose’ took my attention and said, “Remember your Warrior training. Focus on what you want! What is at the end of that tunnel that you want more than anything?”
“A child.” I said. “Okay” he said “Your child waits for you on the other side of that tunnel, now focus on what you want!”
I entered the tunnel with such terror crawling on my elbows and knees trying to avoid the little shocking wires and I thought of the child I want and said to myself, “I focus on what I want! I focus on what I want!”
Jose’ crawled behind me as my Jeffrey went through the tunnel next to me and Jake waited at the end. “I focus on what I want! I focus on what I want!” I yelled. I had to in order to keep myself from going into terror and freezing up inside the tunnel.
I made it through as Jake pulled me out the other side. I was so relieved and shaking as he, Jose’ and Jeffrey hugged me and celebrated my courage to go through my greatest fear. It was wonderful, and I don’t remember feeling a single shock.
Doing it together
The last obstacle was the spacious dangling, shocking wires that I had lost it through in 2018. I was once again terrified, but this time we decided to all link arms and walk through it together.
We each stated what was on the other side of the obstacle for us then boldly walked in as we chanted, “I focus on what I want! I focus on what I want!”
Since there were four of us, we all got shocked hard, very many times, for whenever one person was shocked, it coursed through each of our bodies.
It was intense, but the terror was not there for me, for I had my people linked in my arms as we all forged ahead. We made it through that last obstacle and celebrated harder than ever before. We all made it with flying colors!
What about you?
Many of you have taken at least one leadership or personal development training in your life. I’m sure many of you, like me, have taken several.
In those courses our trainers created scenarios where we were “squeezed”. Where we found ourselves in a situation that was extremely difficult so that we could use the lessons learned in class.
Now, in this Covid-19 pandemic situation, is the time to use your training for real! For your life and others’. This is the moment you trained for!
Remember your power; remember you “why”; remember your responsibility to create the life you want to see for yourself, for your loved ones, for our human family, and for our planet.
Do you want a default future world nightmare created out of fear, or do you want a peaceful, prosperous world created out of intention, careful thought and action?
Most importantly, remember that you are a creator, and it is up to you! It is up to me, and it is up to us to co-create that which we want to see.
Therefore, put aside any focus on fear and think creatively. Let us use this opportunity to make some major changes we have been needing personally, interpersonally and globally.
They are big problems, but it is time to face them and co-create solutions. Not through force, shaming and fear, but through creativity, love, action and inspiration. As Gandhi said, “Be the change you wish to see.”
What change do you wish to see from this pandemic situation?
For me, I am creating a life of less consumerism. I have been without so many things I previously thought necessary that took up my time, money and attention and that weighed me down.
I am focusing on my greatest treasure; my relationships – with my body, my Beloved partner, the planet, my friends and family. That is the wealth that will last me a lifetime, even if only in my heart and memories.
I am planting a garden, taking excellent care of my body, spending lots of time with my people (though most virtually). I am creating inspirational and educational content that I’ve been wanting to share for years.
For that reason, I see now, a world where we can work much more from home; where there isn’t the rush hour traffic taking up our time, stressing us out and polluting our air.
We can reach people all over the world to connect, learn from and teach virtually – from the comfort of our own homes and without needing to spend the time and money to travel.
What is possible?
The opportunities are vast, and they don’t have to stop when we can go back to physically interacting.
I see people sloughing off things in their life that don’t really matter; the things that don’t truly serve them and their values.
I see children playing with their families in their yards at home instead of sequestered into closed off classrooms in the care of others.
I see people turning their yards into gardens and beautiful spaces that they want to spend time in, and that nurture them.
I see people working together to take care of each other in any way they can; paying from the heart – in whatever currency they have available to them.
Yes, there is a lot of stress, a lot of unemployment right now and many people unaccustomed to spending so much time with their family, so they are frustrated.
However, it takes something big to shake us and wake us up to a better way of life.
My challenge to you
What do you see, and what do you want to see?
Firstly, I invite and challenge you now, or sometime today, to really think about what you want to create.
Get crystal clear on it so you can put together a plan of action for what you will do. Then take at least one courageous step toward it each and every day.
Secondly, I invite and challenge you to share on your social feeds, in your videos and blogs and in your conversations only that which you wish to see in your life and in the world.
Leave off any news or talk about that which you do not want to see happen.
Thirdly, I invite you to open your eyes wide and see the problems which need solved, but do not focus on them. Because when you do, you lose your creative thinking capacity and you just get more of the problems.
It is said, a force is realized when it meets resistance, so do not resist. Be like water and move around the obstacles to find better, creative solutions.
You are it!
You are a creator, so be laser-focused and aligned in your thought, feeling and action. You will help create a beautiful now and future instead of allowing the default nightmare.
I believe in you and your creative power. I believe in us and our co-creative capacity. Let’s do it!
