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Write Whenever You Can In Spite Of Your Conditions, And Follow Your Dreams.

 

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“It is precisely the possibility of realizing a dream that makes life interesting.” ~ Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

Precisely. I love that word. It means the exact time, space or moment of such a realization. Not a second sooner. Not a minute later. Precisely.

We cannot come to realize our own truths about ourselves until precisely the perfect moment. We can intellectually try to understand them — as before we embody or truly awaken to a truth, we can usually see it hanging out in the ethers of our soul. We dance with them — round and round and round we go.

We chase them — like delighted children with nets chasing fireflies at dusk. We prostrate at truth’s feet — flat on the hard, cold surface of our own unawakened ignorance — liberation right in front of us.

But, in order for those truths to jolt into our bodies like a lightning bolt and zap our brains, wiring a new route for thought-energy to flow, the conditions must be perfect — they must be precise.

“For what seems an eternity, we go up one blind alley after another, experience failure upon failure. Without this preparatory groundwork, breakthroughs almost never occur.

 

It is only when we’re steeped in a subject — often feeling confused and hopeless — and are on familiar terms with the contradictions that characterize the field, that resolution may occur.

 

Breakthrough takes the form of a revelatory insight wherein an old, collapsing model is superseded by one that removes some, if not all, of the contradictions.

 

Depending on the realm, ‘better’ can mean more useful, effective, accurate, comprehensive, simple, beautiful, elegant, or loving. Convincing others that what we’ve come upon is indeed better may take longer still, sometimes beyond our lifetime.” ~ Robert W. Fuller Ph.D.

Dreams, truths, epiphanies, realizations, enlightenment — many of us walk around hanging on the belief that these things are beyond our grasp. I heartily disagree. I have lots of dreams. Don’t you? Some big, some small. Some for me, some for the planet. I am not the same person today that I was yesterday.

I have grown, evolved — all because of the desire to realize the truth — which propels me closer to my dreams and my purpose. I have no limitations. Anything is possible. And, all this is sometimes easier said than done.

I have made a lot of my dreams come true. I dreamt of one day having a beautiful family. I dreamt of traveling the world. I dreamt of a career where I could be my own boss. I dreamt of having a flower garden.  I dream everyday of a clean, empty kitchen sink.

And, within my beautiful dreamland and my ability to see many of my dreams manifest into reality, there was another layer — a gateway, a window to a deeper space. The dreams that felt unreachable. The ones that seemed to have a pane of clear glass between them and me.

These dreams were somehow tied to the deepest truths that bind me to my soul living in this body in this lifetime. Within the veins of my dreams flowed the profound truths about who, what and why I am — here and now. They felt impossible. I couldn’t quite put my finger on what was keeping me between me and my dream.

I felt defeated many, many time. Thousands of times. All of  a sudden the landscape changed and I was no longer dwelling in the space of infinite possibility; I was riding the superhighway of old pattens, stories and beliefs — top down, in the rain, going in circles.

And life goes on. Dreams and truth in tow or not. And it’s okay, because they always are. All those times that it seemed like I was giving up on my dreams or abandoning the truth — all of that is okay. The countless moments of utter frustration at myself for not understanding why — it’s all okay.

I found a loophole. People would come into my life with similar dreams (I did not have to look, they just showed up). They needed help, too. Ha. It’s so much easier to help someone else sometimes than focus on your own problems — even when you know deep down inside that you should be walking this talk you are so freely giving to clients and friends.

I have had countless opportunities to support individuals, through my work, with facing their fears and realizing their dreams. I always felt this small twinge of resentment within myself though. I felt that I had put my dreams on hold to help someone else realize their own. Well! Turn your back on the Universe, why don’t you! I think not!

A big wake-up call, for me, came recently when I found myself (once again) feeling resentful that I was not writing anymore. I love to write. I have a dream that I will one day write a book. I dream that I will pen several books, actually. Two things happened in a short span of time that helped me to see the light.

1. I interviewed motivational coach, James Clear. He talked about being a bricklayer when it comes to your goals and dreams. That if you are not willing to do the grunt work, the ground work, build the foundation and lay the bricks, then you will not see the results and you will not move closer towards your dreams and goals.

Hmm, this was so interesting! I was playing this story over and over in my head that in order to write, I needed perfect conditions — as in time, space, peace and silence. And that time, space, peace and silence were overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains in a tiny cabin with a steaming cup of tea.

Not. Gonna. Happen. Jessica. (at least not right now)

James talked about the discipline it takes to see your goals and dreams become a reality. He did not talk the perfect, ideal setting. #toughlove #ouch

2. My reality/truth about writing (apply this to any frustrated dream in your life) was that I actually was writing about 2,000 words a week — for my clients. I was writing web copy and articles and blog posts. I was making myself sit down every single day and write.

For my clients, I could tap into my creativity and my feelings and put pen to paper (or keys to screen) to help them tell their stories, sell their products and educate their readers which all helped to fuel their dreams.

Did you know that the average book has about 60,000 words in it? I’d say I could have written at least four books over the last three years with the amount of writing I have done.

My epiphany moment came through the realization of these two things — and here I sit, determined to carve out space and time each week to write… for me.

“The real truths of life are never entirely new to you — or to anybody — because there is a level deep down within you where you already know all those spiritual truths. It’s not new information.” ~ Eckhart Tolle

The Clincher

Empathy and Compassion.

What?

Yes.

Empathy and compassion for yourself as you navigate the delicate balance and fine line between embodying the truths about yourself that are keeping you from realizing your dreams and goals, and the feeling that you are sitting on the sidelines of the life you know you want to live.

Being on the bench is okay! It means that you’re still preparing the foundation and laying the bricks, so that when you are ready to jump in as quarterback, you can lead the team to victory with skillful ease.

What we forget is that we are the coach, the benchwarmers, the offense, the defense and the quarterback all tied into one. We can let go of trying so hard to become — because we already are all of these things. And, when we learn to invite the softness that self-compassion brings, it is more likely that these things we already know and have known forever will reveal themselves.

As Paulo Coelho shared, “It is precisely the possibility of realizing a dream that makes life interesting.”

So, relax and keep going. You’re doing great. All is coming in its own, beautiful, perfect and precise timing.

 

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James Clear

James Clear

James Clear is the author of Atomic Habits. He writes at JamesClear.com, where he shares self-improvement tips based on proven scientific research. You can read his best articles or join his free newsletter to learn how to build habits that stick.
James Clear