I'm two chapters in and loving it so far. Thanks to Jonathan for taking the time and effort to organize his thoughts and develop a cogent and effective strategy to Reclaim our Dreams.
Here are selected high points during my reading experience:
Jonathan engages the readers with
a series of questions to get them thinking about their own paths from the very
beginning. It quickly becomes evident this is not a guided tour but simply a tool kit to aid oneself in their own quest for rediscovering their true calling.
He muses "Why do you live?" … Jonathan reached
an answer for himself: "The point of living is to enjoy life", and finds it to be a commonality among those he has personally observed. Each of our lives has central themes which we can learn from and find nourishment.
Then he proceeds to ask common concerns we share:
"We have questions such as these:
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What happens if doing what I love
isn't practical?</li> -
What happens if I can't make any
money with my passion?</li> -
What happens if I'm not good at
following my heart?</li> -
I don't seem to have time for the
things I love. How do I make time?"</li> </ul>By bringing light to these barriers to self development he forces us to to see that they are merely perceived obstacles and excuses not to follow our inner nature.
In chapter 1, "unbrainwashing or creating room
for your dreams to grow" I was reminiscent of the Jedi training words of
Yoda, “you must unlearn what you have learned”. Jonathan warns that many of us become a prisoner of our own ingrained thought processes. “Instead of owning your thoughts,
your thoughts own you. You start to identify with your thoughts, and
pretty soon the conflict in your mind is too much. It's always
judging, always brooding about something.” This causes us harm because we are comparing our current state of being with one that is unachievable or impossible. “Constantly comparing yourself
against an image of perfection causes you to search for something
you'll never have and strive to become someone you'll never be. It
doesn't exist”. I believe what he is describing is a differentiation from our creativity and analytical minds, which is based on holding possible choices in opposition (juxtaposition), and our true selves.For chapter 2 we are coached to "Stop Caring". I was particularly impressed with the warning signs of "toxic caring":
“Some Symptoms of toxic caring
include:-
We value productivity and
accomplishments more than what makes us come alive</li> -
We give more merit to the bullet
points on our resumes than the contents of our character</li> -
We care more about the size of our
bank accounts than the fulfillment of our passions</li> -
Efficiency and getting things done
becomes more important than how much we enjoy what we're doing”</li> </ul>Once again I humbly thank Jonathan Mead for taking the time and energy to orchestrate his powerful message and giving each of us a chance to "Reclaim Your Dreams".
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