Most people suffer from what I call “the misinterpretation of the dream”. They had (or have) a dream about what they 
wanted to be when they grew up and if it never came to be, they either consider it a flight of fancy or a failure. Wrong! There is so much left untapped in that discarded dream that can show you what you can be doing now or adding to your career reinvention for utmost satisfaction and meaning.
What we have been trained to do is see our dreams as a literal mandate from our hearts, minds and imaginations. If I dream of singing on Broadway then, clearly, I am to be an actress with all that it entails. However, when you are given the key to the clues that the dream holds, you are no longer beholden to one form that your work life can take.
One woman who received the key realized that her futile attempts to break into the broadcasting field did not mean she had failed at her dream. What she really wanted to accomplish by being a broadcaster was to get vital information to people that they needed for their lives. She realized that she could do that in many, many forms and it did not need to rely solely on landing a position as an on camera newscaster.
Sometimes a discarded dream can be a place in your life history where you got away from your truest self. A place where you left your soul on the side of the road to live the life you thought you had to live. It doesn’t necessarily mean you are supposed to go back to that dream because being a baseball player at age 52 just may not be feasible, but it does mean going back and picking up your soul from the gutter. It might mean getting that old glove back on your hand and remembering who it was you got to be (or wanted to be) and then bringing that person into your life today. The dream must live; it will just have a different form.
I once met a man who wanted to challenge my method of looking for the wisdom in people’s dreams. He had accomplished every dream he had ever wished for, so he felt he could debunk there being any theme or connection between his dreams that would mean anything to his current conundrum about what to do next. This man’s past dreams included being a magician as a kid, an architect, which he did become, and a branding and advertising person, which he also became. What he was confused about was that he could not reconcile his love of outdoor adventure sports like rock climbing and kayaking with his next career move.
It did not take long to recognize that each of his dreams evoked a sense of awe in people. A magician’s impressive illusion, the architect’s astounding work, the ad man’s billboard—they all made people be amazed and awed. Nature does the same thing. Upon tying the dreams together for him, he told the truth that he wanted to have an adventure travel company and introduce more people to the awe of nature. It all made sense. He knew what he wanted to do and why. He wasn’t confused anymore.
How about you? Can you reinterpret your dreams and find the clues in the past that point to your future? No dream is foolish. It’s just our interpretation that is flawed. Go back, retrieve yours and soar!
Based on Chapter Four, Your Past Holds the Clues to the Future, from Now What? 90 Days to a New Life Direction by Laura Berman Fortgang
I wanted to post a comment after I saw the photo of the little kid looking at the baseball posters. My kids had a great ‘school counselor’ in elementary school. She gave all the kids hints and tips on how to succeed. Some of the kids, my son especially, took right to those hints and tips! (Listing 3 things you are grateful for before going to bed was one of them and this was in the early 80’s! Some days he struggled, but he always had 3.)
One of the ones I really liked was the story of the kid standing outside in his yard throwing a baseball up in the air, swinging his bat and missing the ball, over and over again. His mom was watching from the window feeling more and more sorry for him when she realized he was smiling. Quietly going to the door she heard him saying, ’12 strikeouts! I’m the best pitcher in the world!’
It’s all in your perspective how your dreams work out.