Good morning ladies, grab a cup of coffee, pull up a chair and listen in, this is the Sassy Moments Podcast, Moment #10 The trouble with nudges.
Yesterday we talked about giving gifts to your future successful self and to imagine the advice she might give us to help us get there.
I have to admit that conjuring up that episode was inspiring for me. Talking about coaching from my Henessee hammock while cycling across Canada or hosting a retreat for a group of Sassy Ladies to cycle from Banff to Jasper – what a great dream! Gives me such huge inside smiles I cannot suppress an ear to ear grin. Yep, my brain is percolating on those future events. Time will tell… So. FUN.
Dreaming is something kids and teens love to do. They are always dreaming about the future… when they are 10 and get to play on the school baseball team, when they get into middle school and get to play in the school band, or when they get their driver’s license, or when they get into college.
But somewhere along the line we set our dreams aside and they wither. Especially for women – the dreams of others choke out our dreams. The dreams of our children, or our spouse can muzzle the whispers of our heart and soul. After all, women are responsible for the survival of the human race, we are busy raising children into competent adults – who has time for dreams? While this is a common experience, it doesn’t have to stay that way.
I believe our dreams are not withered and forgotten. They are dormant, waiting. Every once in a while they nudge up a thought up into your mind. Every time I see (and often buy) a lovely piece by a potter… Hey, remember how much you loved to throw pots? And in an instant my thoughts wander back to my early twenties, a student at the School of Fine Arts in Banff. Ahhhh.. simpler times.
Pay attention to those nudges. Pay attention to where your mind wanders in its day dreams. It’s trying to tell you something – it’s nudging you. Gather those nudges, they just might change your life. Start a list on your phone, post it on a sheet of paper on the fridge, or a white board. I know it’s embarrassing to gather dreams. It’s shunned. There is always someone telling you why it’s nonsense or crazy or impossible or too expensive… Do it anyway. See if a pattern that emerges. See if there is a recurrent nudge.
The trouble with nudges is… We don’t listen to them. The whispers of our heart and soul are simmering quietly, but rarely do they bubble up and when they do, we snuff them out almost immediately. “Pottery – who has time for that.” “Look at these beautiful pieces, I could never do that.” “My wrists are too weak.” Choose to believe there is magic in those whispering nudges – waiting to be discovered.
Not that long ago my coach offered me some absolutely terrific advice… Give yourself permission to not follow your arguments with yourself. Such fantastic advice. Not necessarily easy to follow, but well worth some serious effort. Give yourself permission to not follow your arguments with yourself. Which in essence is saying – give yourself permission to listen to your dreams. Don’t squash your dreams. Revel in them. Let yourself explore those delightful nudges. That doesn’t mean you have to sell your house, ask for a divorce and move to New Zealand to live with the yellowed eyed penguins, noooo! It simply means you are exploring an idea. Just for FUN!
And while we are on the topic of following nudges into our day dreams and harnessing their energy and power, let’s talk about the single most powerful dream killer question out there… What will people think? It is one of the quickest ways to deflate your enthusiasm. What will other people think? Who cares. Let them be wrong. Let them think what they want. This is your dream. You are allowed to dream in full color with surround sound and three D.
Let yourself revel in your dreams. Listen to your nudges.
How different would your day be if you let yourself listen to your nudges?
Talk again soon.
Live Life, Love Life, Always…
Karen
