You Can’t Buy A Map For Where You’re Going
May 18, 2009
I’ve always lived my life in an unusual way. For most of my life, I didn’t know it was unusual. I thought that everyone lived the way I did. But I remember a boyfriend saying to me once, “Annie you live an extraordinary life and I live it in an ordinary life.” And I had no idea what he meant.
But when I was in college studying Italian, I got this wild idea to go to Italy and I knew that I wanted to marry an Italian. When I told people this, they looked at me like I was from Mars.
But strangely enough, through someone in the class, I met some Italians and because of them I went to Italy. And yes I did meet and marry an Italian! Now if you’d have asked me how I was going to do all of that, I would have had no idea. It was just something that I felt deep inside of me, in my bones. And for me it was nothing out of the ordinary. I still thought everyone lived this way.
I didn’t know then that being a big dreamer is not the norm! People would always say to me, “You did what??” , when I would tell them about this or that adventure. It didn’t feel like a big deal to me. Much of the time, it didn’t even feel like a risk.
I guess my battle was not with courage. It was more like I had a compulsion to run from being ordinary or bored. So I always went for those bigger dreams because the ordinary life seemed like a torture beyond imagining.
Now I didn’t provide myself with the house, husband and two children that other people have. But I’ve had a wonderful life of adventure and fun and in the past few years, I’ve been determined to bring this same energy of dreaming into my business life…..and it’s not been easy! Much of the world works against big dreamers. A lot of things out there tell you that you can’t dream big. But I try not to listen to all that and you shouldn’t either.
This morning I was talking with my friend Tracy about my desire to connect and collaborate with colleagues in Europe. Now there is no linear way to achieve this dream. There I no formula. I was telling here that I can’t see at all how I’m going to do this, but I can feel it in my bones, just like I’ve felt other dreams in the past. And at the end of the conversation she said to me, “Annie, you can’t buy a map at Walmart for where you are going.”
I love that! And it’s really true.
When you are a big dreamer, the map is in your head and the compass is in your heart. You have to follow the tiny and irrational gut instincts that tell you to do crazy things in directions of your growth. As the poet Rumi says, “Feel yourself being quietly drawn by the deeper pull of what you truly love.”
That’s it. Quietly drawn. Not anxiously, not grasping and not desperate.
I had no idea years ago how I was going to get to Italy. But the dream came to me, and many other dreams have come as well. I’ve also had many broken dreams and fallen dreams. Don’t worry, we’ll talk about that too. It’s all part of being a big dreamer
But being a big dreamer is a gift and it’s not to be taken for granted.
That former boyfriend had a dream about me once where he took me to the top of a high building and said, “There are other beautiful worlds out there.” Yes there are other beautiful worlds out there. I think this should be the motto of every big dreamer. And if you’re reading this, you’re probably a big dreamer too and maybe you’re needing or wanting to dust a dream off the shelf and put it out there.
Not grasping, not desperate, not anxious. Just quietly being drawn by your heart. The map is inside, not at Walmart. Don’t stop where you are today, keep going into new territory.
And if you want to check out my wonderful friend Tracy’s gorgeous calligraphy, go to www.bellascrittura.com
Love you Tracy. Thanks for always being a friend that stands behind me big dreams and crazy ideas!
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There you go, my friend….bravely going where no man (ahem, or woman) has gone before….and with so much life and love !
Brava !
xoxo
T