LIVE YOUR DREAM LIFE NOW WORKSHOP SESSION 7

Hello, Dreamer Friends!

We're getting to the end of our LYDLN workshop! I hope you're finding creative ways to live your dreams NOW! If you'd like some specific ideas just for your personal situation, you can e-mail me and I'll offer some thoughts. E-mail me at lesacookman@charter.net.

Go to your own little cozy spot and get ready for session 7. I'm a casual kind of person so I really like this cozy spot. I could move right in here. This photo and others can be found on my Pinterest board, "Cozy Spots".  Ready? Let's begin...

LEARNING TO DETACH...

This session is going to sound contrary to what I've been saying up til now but stay with me! By the end it will make more sense to you...I hope! : )

Because of circumstances in our lives, sometimes from which we have no control, we have to change our dreams. There are going to be times in your life when you have to let go of your dreams for something even BETTER! Yes, you "heard" me correctly! There are times when you need to let go of your dreams  because something BIGGER OR BETTER comes along.

Here are a couple of examples in my own life:

 One of these times was when I was going to go back to work as an RN to help put my daughter through a private college. This seemed desirable to me as I loved nursing and could make great money. We were empty-nesters at this time and we were excited about being able to send our daughter to this private Christian college. This was all part of my dream life. But then something happened to change all that. In MY life I keep an open mind about changing course in order to let God direct my steps. And while I enjoy being an RN, a door opened to enable  me to become a founder and director of a ministry to troubled youth. This was a HUGE blessing in my life! I had never imagined myself being able to do something like this but the opportunity was there, there were people who supported and encouraged me and they raised money to pay me so it just fell into my lap.  My personality was always that of a quiet, shy person who was kind of a "goody two shoes" so this was something that had not even been on my radar even though I had begun ministering to kids in gangs.  I grew in amazing ways through this endeavor. I met families from Cambodia, Somalia, Viet Nam, South America, and more and they embraced me with open arms. At times I felt like I was in other countries as they invited me into their homes and their cultural celebrations. I reached out to kids in their own neighborhoods and saw poverty I wouldn't have seen otherwise and it helped me become more compassionate. I went to prisons and juvenile detention centers and held Bible Studies. I was blessed in so many ways through this opportunity. I also helped put my daughter through college, and my schedule was even more flexible with this opportunity and allowed me to visit our daughter in college more often than if I had been working as an RN. 

The other event happened when, after having lost money through investing in a business, we decided to downsize into a smaller home in order to have more flexibility with our money. We were looking for a smaller fixer-upper home where our mortgage payment would be cheaper. We were not forced into this as we COULD have stayed in our home but I was actually looking forward to redecorating an older home and having more disposable income.  So I was dreaming for a smaller cheaper home to fix up.  During this time we were offered the opportunity of living in the "Plummer House", a historical 49 room mansion FOR FREE, and acting as Resident Directors.  So I actually ended up being able to live in  a LARGER HOME ( a 49 room mansion, no less ) and it was FREE! We've lived here 22 years now and it has been AMAZING, though we don't even own the house we live in ( another thing that I wouldn't have thought of doing ).

In both of these cases if I had insisted on my OWN way and forced my OWN dreams in my life, I would not have had the BETTER  opportunities that came into my life. Not everyone is going to be offered the same kind of opportunities that we have had. But YOUR OWN opportunities are waiting. Things that you may not even have thought of or imagined in your wildest dreams. So don't let them slip by when they come to you.

So while dreaming your "dream life", MOVING towards those dreams, and WORKING towards those dreams, it is also important to be able to "detach", to "let go", and be flexible when something bigger or better comes along. In short, think of life as an adventure! Dream your dreams but hold onto them lightly. You don't always know what is going to happen next. Life is like that. We can't control EVERYTHING.  So DREAM YOUR DREAMS but be ready for something unexpected and wonderful to happen, whether it's YOUR DREAM or something even BETTER!  As a Christian I see this as God working in my life. If I had insisted on MY way I would have missed out on some great adventures! Don't hang onto your dreams kicking and screaming as if your life depended on them. But always allow for something BETTER if it comes along.

No new assignment for this week. Just keep working on turning your dream list into things you can do NOW! Use your creativity and imagination! Be ready to "detach" when something better comes along. Practice living in the moment. Stay positive. Keep finding NEW ways to live out your dreams. And keep dreaming!