Ever since my book Whenever You’re Ready has been published I’ve been having a lot of interviews about it in podcasts, for newspapers, magazines etc. It is interesting to observe that one of the most asked questions in those interviews has been
What do you mean by ‘dreaming is a muscle’?
I as a pianist and teacher have experienced that we often put ourselves in a box and allow ourselves to play only within the box - a place where everything is visible and predictable. When we try to reach beyond those limits, the judging rational mind and our limited worldview often work against it, censoring free thinking. It is as if there was always someone (most likely yourself) ridiculing the idea - the dreams outside that box - as soon as you think of it. Seriously, what is wrong with dreaming, being open to a new possibility, a new crazy thought that may not seem possible now?
Why not?
Honestly, I don’t think I’d play at the Carnegie Hall if I didn’t dream about it. I don’t think I’d write a book if I didn’t dream about it. I don’t think I’d be surfing if I didn’t dream of it in my wildest fantasy. Every crazy and wildest idea that visits my mind, I have tried to do my best to keep my judgmental side at bay and protect my dreamer to keep dreaming without a limit. We have a limited vision. It is impossible to predict the future. We never know what the future holds, what opportunities may come along, what people we will meet, or what events will affect who we become. I believe that dreaming even in the vaguest form plants a seed in the head which can grow in a direction in which we might move in the grand scheme of life.
The tiniest step
There is another important fact here that I would like to emphasize. The fact that I called the Carnegie Hall. I just picked up the phone and called. The fact that I wrote the first sentence of what could possibly become my book. That first step made a huge impact on the dream becoming reality. There were only two things I needed to do - dream and take the first possible step. If I am ready, the dream will catch me at the right time. If dreaming is planting a maple seed, adding water is the first step. There will often be many long periods of waiting and simply working without much progress, but without the seed planted and the first step of adding water we will never grow a tree.
What about you?
Do you dream? If you could run wild with something you create, or your work or a hobby, what would the dream look like? Remember, this is just a game and a muscle building exercise in your mind. It is really fun to create a huge circle around you and allow yourself to play without that close boundary which you build. Be a crazy dreamer. I am cheering for your journey as a fellow dreamer.
Jeeyoon
