Don’t let fear rule your heart… or your life.  You’ve got approximately 100 years (plus or minus) in a lifetime… and we never know how long we have.  A very good friend of mine passed away recently. She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and within one month, she slipped away quietly in her sleep.  And this was a woman with more zest and vitality for life than almost anyone I have ever met.

It’s shocking when someone you love is suddenly gone – without warning (and even with some notice).   And it makes one realize their mortality.  So, what is on your bucket list?

Is it finding true love?  Is it writing a book?  Playing a musical instrument in Carnegie Hall?  Traveling to exotic destinations in the world?   Maybe it’s even quitting your job… and starting your very own business???

What is stopping you?  I bet you’ve met that pesky dream snatcher by the name of ‘Yeah But’.  Mmmm-Hmmm…. it shows up in many different forms and faces – all the reasons why we can’t possibly pursue those dreams on our bucket list.

Here’s an example of what that sounds like:  Dream: I want to take at least 4 months visiting Europe, really immersing myself in the culture of different countries…  Then the dream snatcher says, “Helloooo… ‘Yeah But’ here to remind you that you don’t have the money and you already have too much debt, and you don’t know the culture, and you just can’t afford it. “     The dream snatcher sounds something like that. I imagine many of you reading this have had that kind of conversation in your head at one time or another– and maybe it even comes through others you love and care about.

If Spirit has placed a desire on your heart, that desire is the voice of God.  It is the whispering upon your heart, and the longer you hold back in fear, the more that desire will be knocking upon the doors of your heart to let it out and make it happen.    Now the interesting thing is that once you start taking steps towards your dreams, the Universe (insert God / Spirit / Lord… whatever name you want to use) steps up to meet you and will often guide you in ways that you least expect.

I am reminded of this beautiful poem, often referred to as ‘Footprints in the Sand’ or ‘I had a Dream’:

One night I dreamed a dream. 
I was walking along the beach with my Lord. Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life. For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand, one belonging to me and one to my Lord.

When the last scene of my life shot before me I looked back at the footprints in the sand. There was only one set of footprints. I realized that this was at the lowest and saddest times of my life. This always bothered me and I questioned the Lord about my dilemma.

“Lord, You told me when I decided to follow You, You would walk and talk with me all the way. But I’m aware that during the most troublesome times of my life there is only one set of footprints. I just don’t understand why, when I need You most, You leave me.”

He whispered, “My precious child, I love you and will never leave you, never, ever, during your trials and testings. When you saw only one set of footprints, It was then that I carried you.”

~ Margaret Fishback Powers; 1964

This poem reminds me that Spirit (God, Lord, Universe, insert whatever feels appropriate for you) is always with us and within us, walking beside us and carrying us when we are most afraid.  And to be carried is to trust and allow that God has your best interest at heart.  A true heartfelt desire will always be in alignment with Spirit because they are One.

Some people will argue that they pursued their dreams and failed.  So, why bother?  Hand over the Twinkies, Bon-Bons, and the remote control.  Every person of greatness in the world has failed – some hundreds if not thousands of times.  Some even got frustrated and cast their dreams aside for months or even years.  However, what made these people great was that saw so called failure as an opportunity to do things differently, and tried again –  eventually rising to achievement.   Don’t get discouraged if you tucked your tail between your legs and said forget it.  If the desire on your heart is still there, under layers of dust and debris, God is just waiting for you to get over yourself and make a fresh new beginning.

Lao Tzu (which means Old Master), who was a famous Chinese Taoist Philosopher and known for writing a very poignant book of wisdom called the ‘Tao-Te-Ching’, said that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.   Even if you think you took 10 steps forward and then a hundred steps back – what you must remember is that the past does not exist.  There is only now and the choice you have to step towards your dreams – your bucket list of dreams.   And after that step you can choose to take another, then another.

There really is no going back once you’ve taken that first step.  Maybe I’ve seen The Matrix movie one too many times.  However, once you have initiated something you can never go back to exactly the way things were before.  Your reality is permanently altered with a single step.  Therefore what you perceive as going back is really just taking a side street or a detour.  The achievement of  a dream is not as much an event as it is a journey, for often the dream a person initially sets out to achieve, ends up looking quite different that what was intended.  The detours or road blocks are really blessings in disguise if you choose to look deep enough.

So, tell the ‘Yeah But’ voice inside to take a long hike far away from you.  Pull out your inner walking shoes, and follow the yellow brick road of your heart towards your dreams.