From my experience as a coach (as well as being a member of various coaching groups), one of the most recurring questions has to do with dream interpretation.

As in, “Last night I dreamed that all of my teeth were falling out and there was nothing I could do about it… What does this mean?”

Answer:

Well, certainly from a Freudian perspective this means that you feel like you are losing control and you fear that your efforts are futile.

Right? I mean it certainly makes sense, doesn’t it?

Or how about that oldie-but-goodie… the one where it’s final exam time and you’ve totally blown off/forgotten about the class all semester…

If you have this dream, clearly this means that you have anxiety about missing a potential opportunity. Or something like that. Hell, Google it.

But what if, in the former example, in waking life you never much liked your teeth. In fact, you were embarrassed by your smile, so you always kept your mouth closed. In this case, losing your old teeth could represent a re-birth, could it not?

And in the latter case, forgetting about the class all semester could mean that you have no interest in Organic Chemistry and this realization means you’re free to pursue your true passion — eco-friendly, sustainable worm farming. (As I write this example I realize that Chemistry class might be helpful in this regard, but I digress…)

The point is that dreams mean whatever you DECIDE they mean.

You are in charge of your creations in this life. All of them. Including all of your thoughts. Including all of your dreams, which are just types of thoughts. The only higher power sending you messages is YOU. (Think about it logically for a second. If there was a Universe/God/Source outside of you that wanted to send you a message, why wouldn’t this entity just spit it out clearly like a thunderbolt to the forehead? Why would this Force be so tentative and express itself through cryptic messages?)

I’ll say it again. You are the creator of your dreams. Like any thought you have, your dreams mean precisely what you decide they mean. When asking about the meaning of dreams, most people are looking for a Rosetta Stone of sorts — they want to translate what they believe to be an important message sent to them by a wiser entity that’s trying to guide them.

But you didn’t come into this life to follow mystical breadcrumbs, hoping to get to some pre-destined place.

You can here to LEAD YOUR LIFE.

You came here to DECIDE what your preferences and desires are. And then to ALLOW YOURSELF TO HAVE WHAT YOU WANT.

 

I’m reminded of this because I had a rather vivid dream last night.

I was in my childhood backyard (well, the driveway really). There was a Wiffle Ball game going on (baseball with plastic ball and bat). I know the stakes were high, but that’s all I know. The game was played with two-people teams. I stood in the outfield (my neighbor’s the Aiken’s driveway) as my teammate, an unidentified woman pitched. We were one out away from winning and she had been pitching superbly, but she was tiring.

At bat was a very large man, and by large I mean ROUND. His gut spilled to the ground. He sported a gruff beard, batted lefty and he was talking shit about how he was going to take my pitcher deep and end the game. Sure enough he lifted a deep drive on the next pitch. I went back… back… back… trying to follow the trajectory of this rocket.

I tripped over my own legs, falling to the pavement on my back. I could hear the Wiffle ball striking the the leaves of the huge overhanging maple tree above me. I couldn’t yet see the ball, but I could hear it descending, bouncing off the branches like that Plinko game on The Price is Right.

In our game, you play everything, so if I could somehow manage to catch the ball, we’d win. If it fell to the ground untouched, it would be a 2-run home run, and we’d lose.

But again, I was lying on my back. There was no time to get up and track the ball.

So I just let go. I gave up.

I stared upward and watched the white ball emerge from the tree. It dropped straight down to my chest where I caught it with two hands.

Game over.

We win (something very important).

And then I awoke…

 

So what did it mean?

Well, I rather liked this dream. I suppose that’s why I remembered it and felt inspired to share it here.

I’ve decided that the feeling of giving up and letting go — that’s the real key for ME to win the game. 

All that I want doesn’t have to be fought for. I don’t have to figure it out. I don’t have to execute a plan. When the ball emerges, I will catch it. Always.

My teammate wants me to win. The ball wants to fall gently in my hands. Hell, even the gnarly round guy wants me to win (though he would likely never admit it.)

So I am going to allow myself to win. And have it be easy. And feel great.

 

That’s what this dream means.

Because that’s what I say it means.

The End.