What matters most to you?
I’ve been asking this question a lot lately, in workshops and web conversations. I’ve included some insights here that may be helpful in elevating and refining your practice.

Here’s what I’ve noticed: 

Most of us have some idea of what deeply fulfills us. I believe this to be the evolutionary impulse that Joseph Campbell called the Hero’s Journey. It seems that we are all called to journey where we have not been, and bring our invisible dream into the physical world; to make it real.

I’ve also noticed:

Although most say they have some sense of what matters most, many say they don’t put enough of their focus on it, as if the action to begin it belongs somewhere in the future. It’s certainly understandable how life, with all its complexities, can push our deeper needs aside, and yet this is what we’re here to attain or accomplish. This is what we came here for.

I have noticed two rivers that need to be crossed in order to bring what matters most front and center in one’s life.

The first river has to do with priorities. This takes quiet time, to sift through the many, often competing possibilities, to choose what is most important to you; the real you.

The second river has to do with space. Until you clear some space in your day for what you’ve chosen, it will always be the thing you’ll start tomorrow, or sometime soon. I recommend that you spend some time this week crossing both these rivers. They live in the mind, of course, but on the other side is greater freedom and fulfillment.

Here are some of the questions I use to decide what rises to the top of what matters most.

1. Can I see it all the way through? Before you take the first step towards realizing your dream, ask yourself as honestly as you can whether you can weather the storms that will most likely come before it is finally realized. Is this something you will do, no matter what?

2. Does it serve a greater good? A good idea can become a great idea if it makes the leap from what serves your personal needs, to what can also be in service to a greater need shared by others.

3. Does it solve a problem, or open a new possibility? For a dream to land somewhere, it helps if its presence is welcomed as timely and relevant. What will be different? What is missing, and how will your actions fill the missing piece?

4. Is this my dream? I cannot tell you how many people I’ve worked with who try hard to realize a dream that someone else (parents, spouses, friends, the great “they”) want for them, but to which they have no deep connection. Is this what you truly want?

And here are some suggestions for clearing the space in your day.

1. Learn the difference between activity and action: If you find yourself doing the same thing over and over, and not moving forward, you’re probably stuck in an activity that may move you sideways or even backwards, but not towards what you say you want. Actions, on the other hand, create results. One hint: In action, you have no stories, regrets, or excuses.

2. Find your dream partner: I’m not talking about your soul mate here, although he or she may be the very one you choose. A dream partner is someone who holds your dream as sacred and feasible, and whose dream you also encourage. Talk to each other about what actions you take, daily if you can, and use the power of two minds joined as one to clarify and inspire each other.

3. Create space between your ears: Most if not all your daily clutter lives between your ears. Take up a practice, like meditation for example, that gives the mind a rest. Focus on your breath, and be content with the unique properties of the moment you’re in. Be an empty vessel, and let the time you spend in stillness grow each day.

PRACTICE
This week, see if you can clear your schedule for some dream time. Create some space in your day, when you can sit back, and let your mind be empty. Let the intelligence of the universe into that space. Be the listener, not the speaker for a while. Then you can be with the question, “What wants to be developed and realized through me today?”