DARE TO DREAM

by Nicholas de Castella

Today I wanted to take a look at why we don't set goals and what we can do about it. A
common block to setting goals is we avoid the fear of not achieving them.
Inside we often fear that if we make a mistake or fail we are going to be punished or ridiculed
(usually from unconscious, unresolved past experiences when this did happen such as being
called 'stupid'). We protect ourselves by not taking the risk of exposing ourselves to these
possibilities (we unconsciously expect the future to be the same as the past - which is highly
questionable).
This head in the sand kind of thinking is the kind of thinking that tends to create what we don't
want - what we fear. Because we are not willing to fail we don't set goals, don't have a clear
focus, our energy is scattered and we are much less effective. This makes us much less likely
to achieve and more likely to fail. The biggest failure in life is not to do anything. Not to live our
lives fully.
A Heart Centred Perspective
Mastering fear is one of the most liberating and empowering things you can do because we all
avoid living the life we are meant to live because we avoid fear.
From a Heart Centred Perspective we let fear inform us that there is a potential risk present
that we need to take care with, but we do not let our emotions stop us from doing what we
know in our heart is the right thing. In this case setting some goals for 2008.
The way we manage fears, is to welcome them in, face them head on. We drop the old head
stories (like 'If I fail I will be I'm stupid, worthless etc.) and feel the emotion directly. When we
do this the feelings will at first intensify and then diminish and evaporate. Because any
unwanted feeling when fully felt vanishes instantly.
Heart Practice
Think of something that you would love to do, but have fear of committing to.
Breathe gently into your fear. You will often find it centred in your solar plexus, just in front of
your stomach. See if you can feel or imagine the energy coming up into your heart (the centre
of Love).
The trick in dissipating fear is to stay relaxed and open and to go very slowly and gently.
Practice this for a few minutes each day and see what happens.
Remember: Fear is energy that is created by imagining a negative future possibility. So
always focus on what you want. What we focus on expands!