Dreaming on a Tightrope

What do you do when your dreams start coming true?

Celebrate? Yes.
Cry? Yes.
Call your family? Yes.
Stand in awe? Yes.

Monday, January 12^th, felt like a dream, and I was above the clouds the whole day.
Then, on Tuesday, January 13^th, I was back to reality.

As one of the songs I wrote goes, “I didn’t want to come down.”

I wanted more...

More dreams coming true, more songs getting picked up, and more television stations asking us to perform our songs.

But, that particular day, I didn’t get more.

As I sat in bed, thinking about the flood of emotions I had had, from Monday to Tuesday, I thought of how following dreams is much like learning to walk on a tightrope.
I’m not sure where the connection came from, but it was the image that came to my mind.

I decided to look up the steps of learning how to walk on a tightrope from the trusted internet, and was blown away by how similar following dreams are to walking on thin ropes…

Step 1.  Practice walking on peg stilts to develop your balance.

Step 2.  Start with a looser rope, and experiment with different tensions to see what works best.
Step 3. Set your rope no more than 12 inches from the ground, you can always raise it higher.
Step 4. Have someone help you up on the rope.
Step 5. Look forward, not at your feet.
Step 6.  Avoid waiting for the rope to stop wobbling when you put one foot on the rope.

But what I saw, when I read this was as followed…

Step 1.  Practice.

For my dream of songwriting, I must practice singing my songs on stage, even if I fall, over, and over. I must continue writing my blogs, songs, and poems.  I can’t stop working towards my dream , even when things start to fall in line.

 Step 2.  Tension.

Tension also means stretching. I must take myself out of my comfort zones, in order to find my flow. I must be willing to experiment, and see what works for me.  Tension isn’t always fun, stretching hurts, but only through tension can we find our strength.

Step 3.  Small Beginnings.

I can’t rush the process. I can’t go from A to Z, I must take it slow and steady. This is hard for me, because I long to just, “be there” already, even though I don’t know where, “there”, is yet. I must master the small steps before I can take the giant ones.

Step 4.  Don’t Go Alone. 

This is vital.  I am fairly independent and don’t like asking for help, but it is necessary. Dreams aren’t meant for just one person, I believe God places them in each of us for the whole good. If my dream is only for me, that is a dream I do not need.

Step 5.  Look Straight Ahead.  

This is the one that resonates with me the most right now.  There are a million distractions that would love to take me away from my dream, other people, feelings of doubt, obstacles getting in the way, money, time, age, and so on.
Just like finding a spot on the back of the wall when I sing on stage, I must keep my eyes fixed on Christ, and on the One who breathed the dream in me.  

Step 6.  Start.

I am never going to feel confident enough to get on stage, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t. I will never feel like I have a good enough song, but that doesn’t mean I don’t share it with someone. I will never feel like a good enough songwriter, but that doesn’t mean that I never start a new song. The time will never be right, so start.

I don’t know what dreams you have.

Some of you have dreams of being a songwriter, others maybe a singer, a doctor, a mother, a writer, a professional baseball player, a president, only you know.

What I know, is that regret is harder to handle than going for your dreams. What I know, is that God given dreams are dreams that are worth fighting for. What I know, is that the world needs you to act on your dreams.

What do I do when my dreams start coming true?
I keep dreaming on a tightrope, not looking anywhere but ahead.

 

“What if I fall? Oh, but my darling, what if you fly?”

Eric Hanson