Inventing your future

When I was very young, everything seemed possible. As I gazed out into the future from the vantage point of my child eyes, I said "I am going to have an apartment in New York City. I want to do scientific research and I want to be a baby nurse."

The vision was huge and everything seemed like a possibility. The constraints weren't even on the horizon.

For many of us, the balance between vision and constraints starts to shift somewhere along the line and the horizon becomes much closer. We start to hear ourselves say things like "Well, I always wanted to do that, but now my life won't allow it." "I still want to do those things, but they aren't possible with the life I have created for myself." "After taking care of everyone and everything else, I no longer remember what I really wanted for myself."

Or maybe we say "I can't even remember what I dreamed about for myself."

Our lives can become tangled knots. Add in a cup of genetic and environmental influence, as well as a handful of the influence of others' journeys to our mix, we are usually looking at a very complex stew.

When we are deep down in the middle, swirling and focusing on trying to keep things from flying apart, it is very easy to forget where our dreams for ourselves fit.

What are my dreams for myself?

Where do I fit into my own life?

What brings me light?

What keeps me from re-inventing my own future?