Wednesday, December 14, 2016

When Your Dream Gets Stuck

I thought about titling this blog post “My Dream is Stuck” but I realized that not many people would want to read about MY stuck dream and I also realized that I’m not the only one whose dream is “stuck.” As I talk to other women in my “age and stage” I’ve come to see that stuck dreams are actually quite common among us. 

So let’s start off by defining what I mean by a “stuck dream”. I’ve had dreams and aspirations in the past that I just got fired up about. My vision was so strong and my passion was burning. I would spend sleepless nights working tirelessly towards my dream - whether it was opening my gym or setting my sights on a bodybuilding competition. It seemed like the “drive” came easy. There was purpose in each day and a reason to jump out of bed in the morning. I felt ALIVE. 

As we go through life, we encounter trials and traumas that change our course forever. We aren’t who we used to be but we’re not quite sure who we’re supposed to be. The kids are a bit older and not so dependent, although the parenting becomes even more challenging as we navigate the teen years. And you find the passion for the dream you had before is completely gone and you feel a bit lost with no direction of how to get from right here to someplace you feel ALIVE again. 

Here’s where the stuck part comes in: I know there’s a dream inside of me. I can feel it. I know there’s a work that God wants to do in and through my life. But I really have no idea at this time what that work is. I feel like I’m hanging in the balance a bit. I can’t go back but I also can’t see the forward direction that I am supposed to move. My dream is stuck. It’s stuck inside of me, waiting to be birthed at just the right time.

I don’t write this post because I have some great tips and tricks to share with you on how to get your dream unstuck. If I knew…I would unstick my own dream. What I do know is that this is common during this stage in life - 40 something with kids getting older and life is going in a new direction. For me, it is comforting to know that I am not alone, that this is normal. It’s comforting to have girlfriends who echo me with “me too!”

Becoming content while I wait for my stuck dream to surface is what I strive for these days. Experiencing joy and peace in this funky place God has me right now is the goal. I am confident that our dreams will become unstuck. If you find yourself in a similar place in your own life right now, wondering when you’re going to find that fire and passion again, I encourage you to enjoy the “meantime”. Learn, grow, love and stay alert to new doors that are opening to move you in the direction of your dream. 



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