I am a dreamer at heart. There is nothing that gets me more excited that when I start moving towards a dream. On the same note, watching others live their dreams is addictive. It is my drug of choice. Consider me your pusher and watch all your dreams come true.

Believe Your Dream Is Possible

How do you convince yourself? Look around at the world and know that every physical thing around you (including the clothes on your back) was once nothing but a dream. Absolutely everything. Let that inspire you.

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“Why?” is the province of toddlers. They are learning at such a fast pace, their curiosity is off the charts. Do you think children need answers to their why questions? I wonder. Answers can often be full stops and the end of conversation. It’s more likely that children are in fact simply using “why” as a form of exploration rather than searching for a one-word answer.

And how about for us adults? Skim through Style Statement or peruse the panoply of Daily Q & A’s. You will be hard-pressed to find questions that begin with “Why?” Why is that you may ask? Ah, gotcha! If you really want to know, we can probably ask Carrie and Danielle. Here are some thoughts on the way of the ‘why’:

Why questions take you to your head. You immediately try to figure something out. Not a problem if the question is, “Why does red and blue make purple?” When we are trying to find meaning in our lives and make a difference in the world, I say, let’s go straight to our hearts!

Why questions deceive you into believing that there are simple explanations for complex questions. Like, “Why can‘t you settle down and make a commitment?”- There’s an easy one!

Why questions can sink you deeper into a problem rather than guide you toward meaningful action. Okay, so maybe you keep sabotaging your diets because your father told you how much he loved his plump baby. And maybe your father did this because you have a genetic predisposition towards eating disorders. Wow, that sucks. Better go eat some ice cream to cheer up!

The value of questions is their capacity to connect us to our truer, deeper selves. They let us linger in the questions, and explore. They awaken our curiosity about ourselves and our world. Abraham Joshua Heschel said it best on the first page of his book, God In Search of Man.

In the process of thinking, an answer without a question is devoid of life. It may enter the mind; it will not penetrate the soul. It may become part of one’s knowledge; it will not come forth as a creative force.

Recommended and Related

God in Search of Man: A Philosophy of Judaism, by Abraham Joshua Heschel

Photo by pulihora.

“Why are you upset?”

A dream date night gone astray by an exhausted partner.

A wonderful creative idea dismissed by your boss.

A conversation where you don’t feel seen or heard.

“Three reasons why you are upset”

1. Unfulfilled expectations. A dream date night gone astray by an exhausted partner, think of it as an opportunity to be compassionate. Be aware of being present and letting go of the dream.
2. Feel thwarted, an intention stopped. A wonderful creative idea dismissed by your boss, perhaps it’s time to consider a new job.
3. Not saying the truth. A conversation where you don’t feel seen or heard, trust your feelings and share how you truly feel.

The root of being upset can be a gift in those moments of feeling unhinged. Knowing and understanding can diffuse and give power for your action. Ask yourself, is feeling upset a guide for seeing yourself and others?

Ever turn right and the moment you do, say, “I knew I should have turned left!” What made you know that? And why did you turn right instead? That nagging little navigation system lives in your gut, and inevitably, knows a lot more than your head does. Not sure about that? Tune in and try it.

Here’s my five-minute how to guide on trusting your intuition. As always, if you have your own tips and strategies, feel free to leave them in the comments, below.

Hear It

Intuition is the feeling or voice that slips into your already crammed brain while you’re driving and shaving at the same time.

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It’s Veterans Day / Remembrance Day today and I wake up with the same conflict I do every year. As a person morally and practically opposed to war, how do I honor the young men and women who served our country without supporting the wars they died for?

What happened to “Armistice Day”?

President Wilson proclaimed the first Armistice Day in 1919 with the following words: “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…”

So from the very beginning, even before Congress changed it to “Veterans Day” in 1954 (http://www.history.army.mil/faq/vetsday/vetshist.htm), the focus was not on Peace. It was not a powerful plea to never let this happen again, to never again sacrifice our youth to the violence of war. It was a tribute to the bravery or sacrifice of those who died in battle, a celebration of war victories over evil, and a vindication of the efficacy of war as a means of defending freedom or sovereignty.

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