This is the first Guest Article. Up until this point I've written
my own article each month. This article is by Suzanne Falter-Barns.
(Reprinted with permission.)
Are you one of those creative dreamers who chips away at the life
of your dreams in small, easy chunks – maybe putting in a few
hours a week on a regular basis? But more and more, you notice you
don’t want to?
Or did you leap in with both feet some time ago, and have been
struggling with your dream – riding wave after wave of ups and
downs ever since? (And lately it feels like mostly the downs.)
Or are you still on the fence, wondering what you’d do if you
tossed yourself wholly into that dream and then woke up one morning
to find you no longer loved it? And so you can’t get started.
If any of the above fits, you, friend, have Dream Fatigue.
It’s a not-very-rare condition affecting anyone who has a creative
mission in life. And no matter where you are on the ‘living your
joy’ spectrum, Dream Fatigue will indeed seize you one of these
days. It has to. For such is the stuff of life. We’re simply not
programmed, as humans, to maintain stasis all the time; we simply
have to breakdown once in a while.
In fact, the Second Law of Thermodynamics states that eventually
everything returns to chaos. That’s just the deal. If you clean
a room, it will get dirty again. If you go on a diet, you’ll
eventually break it; you’ve got to. Nothing exists in a vacuum,
breakdown is part of the deal, and the pursuit of your creative
dream is no different.
Where this affects those attempting to live their joy is that you
can casually forget about this. Month after month, year after year,
you may just push along, feeling you are doing what you should …
but somehow it stops being fun. That’s when Dream Fatigue creeps in.
Think about it.
Have you stopped taking risks lately? Gotten a little too safe with
the dream? Started feeling mild burn out when you think about goals
that fired you up at the start?
Or have you simply stopped getting things done? Ask yourself in all
honesty … are you truly doing everything you can to flesh out your
dream right now? Is it still exciting to behold?
If not, it may be that you need to shake things up a bit, in which
case I recommend a retreat. Take yourself away from your routine
for a day, or a weekend or a week. Find a stimulating, quiet place
where you can truly dig in and explore what’s needed next. Give
yourself the luxury of reinventing the dream … after all, it’s yours
right? So ask yourself (in a way in which you truly have time to
think and to respond) … what do you need that you’re not getting
right now?
The answer may surprise you.
Nothing more than a critical step back will make Dream Fatigue
disappear – for it isn’t a reality or a set of circumstances as
much as a state of mind. And only a deep reality check and an over-
all assessment of your operating system will do. May I recommend
you get busy now, and see what you can discover.
Suzanne Falter-Barns
To learn more about how to get more joy out of life and live your
creative purpose … read Suzanne’s free viral e-book,
How Much Joy
Can You Stand? This powerful little book, formerly published by
Random House, has been read by more than 100,000 people!
Take a look at
http://howmuchjoy.com/book.html
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2. Coaching Q&A:
Surrender?
This is my response to Suzanne's article. And it is not easy to
find the words to describe (or even admit!) I have "Dream Fatigue".
Her article so resonated with me and my struggle. I've known for
at least six months that I "should" back off, give in not give up,
in other words "surrender" to the Universe and stop "trying" so
hard. For one thing the moment I'm caught in struggle I lose the
very essence of what I'm doing - what The Imp is all about! About
living joyfully, expressing and living one's authentic self.
So I'm taking the whole summer to play! And I will still make time
for you. What I won't be doing is marketing and developing any-
thing new.
Laughter is the best medicine, play is the best stress buster!
For those of you who live here in the Comox Valley, come and join
me for play times for adults. De-stress, be a kid again, drop your
worries! The dates are changing from the first Sunday evening of
each month to the third Sunday evening. And I've renamed this time
as
"IMPudence!" Contact me for details.
(250-897-0992)
What challenges are you facing on your journey to greater self-
empowerment? When your question is answered in this column, you'll
receive a complimentary 40-minute coaching session by phone or
a set of whimsical imp notecards.
Client names are changed to protect identity and maintain
confidentiality. Go ahead! E-mail me your question:
with
"Coaching Question" in the subject line.
Your question will be answered promptly.
No waiting until the next newsletter.
Do you really have what it takes to live a life of Inspiration,
Magic and Passion? To find out, take The Imp's Quick Quiz and
apply for a complimentary 40 minute phone consultation.
http://www.theimpjournal.com/quick-quiz/
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3. News, Comments, Success Stories, Winners
There are 3 ways to win a "Live a Life of
Inspiration,
Magic and
Passion" tote bag.
1. Request game cards and mark your location on The Imp's guest
map. It's fun! There's only one rule to this game - don't get
caught doing it!
http://www.theimpjournal.com/where-in-world.htm
2. During the first 2 months as a new subscriber.
3. When you purchase
The Imp Journal: Guided Journal Writing for
Personal Empowerment, Vol.1
The Imp has prompted me to do something differently. This month's
totebag winner is you if you fit the following criteria: you've not
previously been the recipient of a complimentary Imp item - totebag,
t-shirt, notecards or mystery package. Other than that, the first
person to request the tote bag gets it! include your snail mail
address.
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4. Inspirational Message to
Ponder
"Your pursuit is not necessarily to find the 'dream', but to
track down step by step, that which feeds your soul and fills
your heart. Your mission is to locate the very food you've been
hungry for for so long. Once you have tasted even a small bite of
it, you will become closer to your purpose on Earth. And you will
be nurturing yourself as God intended, which always brings a
marvelous sense of fullness." Suzanne Falter-Barns
The Imp encourages you to write the quote on a card, read it
regularly, and then journal about your thoughts, insights,
feelings and, especially, actions.
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Who do you know that would enjoy this issue of "IMPressions"?
Just hit the forward button on your e-mail program...
Look for your next newsletter in mid-July.
Warmly, "The Imp and I", Beverley ;-)
Beverley Howden, M.Ed.
"The Imp Lady"
Author, Speaker, Personal Empowerment Facilitator
1-250-897-0992
The Imp, the delight of my life, came to me during the bleakest
period of my life. If you're rebuilding your life or reinventing
who you are, check out my other website
http://www.StartingLifeOver.com