19 December 2007

On the one hand we are attracted to what we want more of: Higher wages, more free time or more energy. On the other hand we are repelled by the things we want to get away from: Less stress, less conflict or interruptions in our work. These two forces draw us: Our dreams and our fears.

A couple of months ago I had a conversation with a woman who wanted more energy. Here is the outcome of our conversation:

Lisbeth sat down like a sack of potatoes hitting a settee. "I am so tired!" – she started and immediately convinced me. "I have just sold my flat, but I have no energy to nuy a new one – I don't understand it." "No," I answered. "It sounds a bit odd!"

In her job Lisbeth travelled a lot and after a few minutes the conversation quite naturally turned to India, which was her great passion. The more we talked about India, the clearer her eyes became. The sack of potatoes had magically turned into a bag of fleas that could hardly sit still. Large gestures were made with arms and legs and suddenly when the excitement was at its highest, the words flew out of her mouth: "… and I have it all planned, if I were to move out there!!!" We looked at each other in amazement. As if she had revealed some great secret, she covered her mouth, shook her head and denied it: "But I am not going to!"

It was an old dream. It was alive and intact. It was so close to the surface that it only took one question to give it a push: "Then why don't you move to India?" Lisbeth looked up at me with surprise and asked, as if I had read her mind: "You really think so?" "I don't know," I answered, "but if that is where your energy is, then why not follow it there instead of looking in a place where it isn't?"

The older our dreams are – the harder they are to kill. If you don't have energy, then ask yourself if you are looking in the right place. If you have lost your keys in a dark road, you dont' look under a streetlight just because there is light.

Lisbeth looked for a spark and left with an explosion. She didn't sleep for two days after our conversation – why? You will have to look forward to reading about that in part 2 of "We are our dreams. We are our fears."

Merry Xmas

/Martin

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