We Have Converts!

The Church of Living Your Dream Lifestyle Network of America has a new convert! At least, our source believes her conversion can be somehow attributed to this here blog. A friend of Dana the Artist is plotting a month-long solo sojourn to the Yukon. Yesssss. One of our other converts is a friend of mine. An actor/writer who is leaving for Prague this summer to write either a novel, stage play, screenplay or maybe all three. Go AJ!

Which makes me think this: it's all about permission. Giving yourself permission.

I shall sing this from the rooftops (although that may not maximize my market reach, I realize): IT IS OKAY TO LIVE YOUR DREAMS.

Nothing bad will happen to you. You will not turn into a different person. Your face will not melt off. You will not necessarily have an affair with a circus performer, turn into a cough syrup addict and ruin your life. (Unless that's part of your dream.)

What will happen if you make the leap is this: you will experience great gobs of joy and probably fear in equal measure. You will look at that fear and say, "Hello Fear. How's tricks?" And you will tape the following statement up on your mirror: If the goal doesn't scare you shitless, it's not big enough.

I'm sorry, what? You need to hear this again? Sure: PLEASE GOD...JUST DO THE WORLD A FAVOUR AND LIVE YOUR DREAMS.

See, giving yourself permission is a nice thing to say you're going to do. But it also helps having someone break the ice for you and make it okay. I'm your girl! If you need me to write permission slips to your teachers, I'll do that. If you want me to call your parents and explain why you are leaving a perfectly stable job at the call-centre to explore the jungles of the Amazon basin, I'll do that too.

Here's a wee rationale for you. Say the world is a big Tupperware container. And all the people in the world are crammed together in this air-tight system. Who is going to be more helpful to our little freshness-packed human race, people who resent their lives and are all bitter and surly or people who love what they do and probably spread that love around a little because they are so filled-to-overflowing with joy? Look folks, we're all in this together. And the best thing you can do for yourself and our Tupperware world is to bring the love and live your dreams.

A word on uncertainty. Which is a concept I've been trying to avoid since my plane touched the ground here at home and I started trying to manhandle and mud wrestle the forces of the universe into a state of submission. "Uncertainty is your path to freedom." There's another quote for your mirror. It isn't mine. It's Deepak Chopra's. (Thanks Deepak. No worries, Mel.) Uncertainty is the place where true evolution happens. Because you aren't limited by how you've always done things or who you've always been. It is literally a whole new world unfolding moment by moment.

You don't have to know what's next. Just take the leap and spend that month in Paris, Prague or wherever. Write that novel, screenplay, poem. Get up on stage and sing. Cycle across the country. Just freaking do it. Please.

And tell me about it.

I think we should build a society of dream junkies. Hearing that other people are making a break for the life they always imagined is so inspiring and encouraging. Tell me your stories. If you're shy about public displays of dream-chasing, email me: melanie at melaniejones dot ca.