Dreams Come True

In spite of whatever disappointments we are currently dealing with, all of us have aspects of our present lives that are a fulfilment of our past hopes and dreams. Those visions in the past are what created the good in our lives today.

Most changes occur in a gradual, sometimes even subtle way and the ones that happen suddenly are often accompanied by a sort of frantic busy-ness. The result is that we tend to miss the opportunity to revel in our dreams come true.

Think about the good things in you life. How do they match up with your past dreams? Is the car that now is just four wheels getting you to and from here and there, something you once anticipated with great excitement? Are the 5 kids that make your life absolute craziness, exactly what you visualized down the road on your wedding day? Is the house of your own-whose repairs you just can't seem to keep up on-something you could hardly wait to acquire back in your apartment dwelling days?

These examples might be off the mark for you, but look back, remember, what dreams are you living?

The supreme irony of each of these examples is the "shiny side" and the "corroded side" of the dream. Back when we were daydreaming about the home of our own, and a yard to barbecue in, we weren't worrying about the upkeep - we were focused on the positive aspects of the dream we were working toward.

We still have that option today. Try this exercise: Ask yourself what in your life is the fulfillment of a dream. Has it happened so gradually that you have grown accustomed to it without appreciating the miracle of it? Or has it come with enough of it's own complications that you have overlooked that it is just what you once wanted?

Take a leap through time from "you-then" to "you-now," the person living in it. Immerse yourself in the delightful pleasure of a dream come true.

An empty-nester might remember being a young mother, so busy with kids everywhere. Did she dream of a day to herself? Now she can enjoy the moment she is in like she would have if that young mother were transported out of the chaos through time to the present.

If you looked forward in college to the day you owned your life and had no more professors to report to, the day you had a real job with a real paycheck-transport that kid with a dream to now. Take a minute in the evening to appreciate not having homework hanging over your head anymore! Remember how badly you once wanted that?

In many aspects of your life, you are living what once was only a dream for you. We think it will be such a thrill when we achieve our dreams, but so much of the time we immediately focus on the next thing that is 'missing' or 'wrong' in our lives, without taking a minute for blissful appreciation.

If a dream were to come true overnight, it might be easier to appreciate the thrill. But most dreams are not that way. Don't miss out on the thrill!

We get to choose what to focus on, and remember that whatever we focus on-we get more of. So if you focus on dreams that have come true in your life, (instead of the ones that haven't) guess what you get? More dreams come true!

Recognizing that the good in our lives is directly connected to our past dreams and visualizations will also motivate us to put energy into visualizing for the future. We will have evidence right in front of us of the power of faith and hope, thus providing us with greater faith and hope.

Remember what the Nephite prophet Alma said, "I have always retained in remembrance [the captivity of our fathers]". (Alma 36:29 and 2) In other words, he remembers where he's been. He remembers that once, long ago, his people dreamed of a freedom he enjoys every day. He keeps in remembrance that he is living that dream.

Also remember that everything is relative. In many aspects of your life, you are living someone else's dream, too. People who aren't yet where you are today, dream of getting to where you are. It is a sobering and humbling thought. Try to see the magic in your life as if you were someone who had just been transported from dreaming about your blessings to living in your blessings.

As you look to the future, don't forget where you've been, or you risk not seeing and appreciating where you are. And loving where you are will help attract in more to love about your life.