When You Wish Upon a Star...

When You Wish Upon a Star,  

Your Dreams Come True!

-Leigh Harline and Ned Washington  

for Walt Disney 

 

I remember singing "When You Wish Upon a Star" and feeling so happy imagining my beautiful life. It was fun and made my heart feel full and completely joyful. As the years passed, and I grew up, I forgot about the song and the feeling I used to get when I heard it. However, recently I’ve heard it at concerts and on the radio in ads for Disneyland and it occurred to me that I’ve been missing something precious. I enjoy those warm, wonderful feelings and want to be able to enjoy them often. As with so many wishes, when I think about what I want I want in my life, I discover that it’s already a part of my life ... I simply didn’t recognize it as my dream. 

 

For example, I’ve been going to the Utah Symphony Pops concerts at Deer Valley Ski Resort for many years. The outdoor venue is one of those idyllic locations where you bring your picnic and lawn chairs to have a scrumptious picnic before and during a concert. It’s always been an event I have looked forward to and enjoyed participating in with family and friends. The mountain behind the stage is covered in scrub oak and small shrubs and trees, and it is topped with a single tall pine tree ... it seems to be a sentinel for the mountain. Until the summer of 2010 that tree symbolized aloneness to me. I always wished that I could look at the beautiful mountain and that tree and feel warm and positive. My wish has come true. Now that tree is a positive symbol and represents strength, passion, belief in myself, self direction, control, joy, and a calm feeling about growth and change. What a glorious and wonderful change of perspective and a powerful realization!!

It’s clear to me that the change in perspective is not because of anything that has happened to me, it is because I’ve chosen to make the extra effort to eliminate as much negativity as possible and find the positive side of conversations, and events in my life. That’s the 51% Project working!

Wishing you a productive and happy week ... 

Susan

SUSAN: I’ve spent a couple of years distancing myself from some situations and people whom I allowed to impact me negatively. But, as it always does, life has changed and I need to realign myself with them again. There’s a difference this time, however. I’m not going back with the same expectations, habits and feelings. I’m different because I’ve made the effort to change my patterns.

DOROTHY:  This has been a challenging week and I've had to continually remind myself to practice what I preach!  Stop worrying, stop projecting, be kind to yourself, stop the negative chatter..phew!  Gratefully, these lingering days of summer have been beautiful and I've been able to hike and spend some time in the setting Susan described above.  Being in Nature is such a soothing balm for me. After a walk and back at my desk, things are always clearer and less worrisome. And, the evening sky has been crystal clear - perfect for star gazing and WISHING and realizing how insignificant my to-do list is in the big picture of life. There have been LOTS of big breathes this week but today I'm feeling calm and happy and gloriously, gratefully aware of my place in the world.

Your Dreams Can Come True!

All our dreams can come true,
If we have the courage to pursue them!
Walt Disney

During the mid ninety’s I decided that living in a great little ski town near my home in the valley would be a dream come true. I couldn’t see anyway it would be possible financially or logistically. Still, I let that dream bloom in my heart because I loved thinking about it. In January of 2003, the dream came true! My husband and I moved into a great little house with a gorgeous view in Park City.

Dreams are fun, exciting, and add spice to our lives. And the achievement of even the smallest dream reminds us that dreams really can come true. But dreams don’t come true without being courageous and taking the first few steps toward the belief that we can achieve anything we put our minds to.

I find that when I’m most content and peaceful, elaborating on my dreams comes easily to me. I love to daydream and catch myself thinking “wouldn’t it be wonderful if …”. I believe that this is the beginning of the creative process so I try to find ways to get myself into that peaceful, happy state of mind. Here are a few tricks I use to help make my dreams come true.

I remember a perfect conversation with a friend, one where I knew I was “heard” and left the conversation believing unequivocally in myself. It’s a terrific feeling, and makes me feel happy and energized.
If I’m dreaming about my career, I imagine the perfect work environment and remember a day that I interacted with my clients with grace, ease, and diplomacy.
Visualizing our favorite vacation spot and the fun and closeness my husband and I enjoy while there, takes me back to that relaxed state of mind.
Some of my best thinking time is while I’m driving to work in the mornings. Everything is fresh and green this time of year and I love seeing the wildflowers bloom on the hillsides. Taking in all of the surrounding beauty allows me to feel happy and excited about being able to enjoy all of it. The gratitude I feel opens the door for enhanced dreaming.
I don’t want to forget my dreams, and want to elaborate on them, so when I feel especially brave I pull out my watercolors and paint something simple and write the word “dream” on it and then write my dream over the watercolor. Finding the perfect picture in a magazine and using it as the background for writing out my dream works great, too. I put it on my bathroom mirror so I see it every time I look in the mirror.

I’m very grateful to have dreams come true and amazed to realize that pieces of my dreams are already part of my life. Dreams are fun; they give us a mental and energetic break and help us clear out the cobwebs in our mind so we can light sparks of brilliance every day.

We wish you big dreams, extravagant dreams! May we all be brave enough to pursue our dreams.

Susan

Susan: I have spent the week noticing and being grateful for all of the wonderful people who are in my life and for all of the circumstances that have made my life amazing. I’m very grateful for all of the good in my life … I’m so fortunate. I believe that my dreams have come true and now it’s time to dream more … and bigger.

Dorothy: After a very challenging winter, Mother Nature has graced us with an extraordinary summer here in the Wasatch Mountains! It’s been impossible for me to stay indoors, and it hasn’t taken much encouragement for me to leave dust, laundry, and bills behind to head to the trails for the day! Living in a town that offers so much entertainment and outdoor recreation, is truly a blessing. I am soaking up every opportunity to hear great music, eat fabulous food, walk amazing trails, and just sit in the sun and dream!!!!! I hope you too are surrounded by lovely sights and have many wonderful opportunities to enjoy the season, wherever you may be!!!!

Thank you all for returning here each week.  We are grateful for your support and encouragement!