Let past dreams guide your path

Plus, Cynthia Erivo on what it means to own your truth

Now I’m going to ask you to use your imagination, just a bit.

I’d like you to envision yourself standing before a bookshelf. But this is no ordinary collection of books. Instead, lining each shelf are rows of your dreams.

Ideas, goals, fantasies you once had that, for one reason or another, had to be stashed away.

Like starting your own business.

Or climbing Mount Everest

Or hosting Saturday Night Live

Take a moment to really soak them up. Some of these dreams may make you laugh. Others may bring a tear to your eye. Each has its own story. What it meant to you when you held onto it. What it took to let it go.

I’m not trying to make you feel wistful or disappointed. These dreams can actually be useful.

See, each dream originally started as a desire to find meaning. To find purpose. And a lot of the time, when we abandon a dream, we abandon the meaning that came with it.

So today what I’d like to do is use one of your old dreams as a tool to help you uncover your purpose.

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The Dream on the Shelf

Every one of our dreams holds a deeper truth. That truth may have gotten lost in the mix of trying to make money, or trying to be productive, or trying to fit in. Today, I’d like to try and find it.

Try this. Take a dream off your shelf, and write it down on a piece of paper or a note on your device. Underneath, I’d like you to answer the question, “What was this dream really about for me?” Really dig in. 

Were you trying to meet a deeper need? Like wanting to feel loved, or needing to provide for your family? What did you believe you’d gain from it?

Then, I want you to ask yourself, “Why did I stop pursuing it?” Was it too expensive? Not the right time?

The goal of this exercise is to uncover the deeper purpose hidden inside your dream. For example, you may have dreamt of being a doctor, but med school was too expensive. That purpose may be a desire to help others. Or maybe you dreamt of running a marathon, but you hurt your knee. Maybe the meaning behind that is a desire to put your health first.

If this meaning or purpose still resonates with you, perhaps this particular dream wasn’t the right vehicle for you. Can you think of other things you can do to achieve those same goals? If you want to help others, maybe there are opportunities to serve that don’t cost you anything. Or if you want to be healthy, what about trying an exercise that’s not as hard on your joints?

We all deserve to lead a life of purpose, not just dream about it. 

And if you want some inspiration, on Monday’s episode of my podcast, I had an amazing and heartfelt chat with award-winning actress and singer Cynthia Erivo. Cynthia had the busiest season of her career, but what I found truly remarkable was hearing about her relationship with stillness. This episode is all about heartbreak, transformation and creative rebirth; a beautiful journey to motivate you to live out your dream.

I challenge you to reflect on a dream you shelved, and find the meaning that inspired it. Reply to this email right now and tell me one thing you can do to express that meaning in a different, new way. I can’t wait to read about your journey.

Last week, I challenged you to commit to serving your community. The amount of responses I got was staggering. I am so proud to be part of this community of service-minded people. You humble me.

Reader Nicki wrote:

I love that, Nicki. It’s amazing how serving others can refill our own cup.

Reader Karan agrees, saying:

Karan, that’s truly inspiring. Your energy and intention are creating ripples far beyond that barn.