The concept of mindfulness plays a central role in Buddhism. The Hindu Prince Gautama Siddharta, founder of Buddhism, stated: “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” Mindfulness is an intentional and nonjudgmental awareness of one’s thoughts and actions in the present moment. When you become mindful, you are able to pay close attention to your thoughts without directly engaging or identifying with them. Mindfulness involves the understanding that thoughts are only thoughts; they do not define reality and they can be released at any moment in time.

In my last column I introduced my slogan “Live, Dream and Thrive” and invited you to explore the following question: What does it mean to you to thoroughly and lavishly “live” rather than to merely exist? I discussed the integral role of your inner voice as you begin to introduce balance and harmony into your life by identifying areas where energy is blocked or misguided, in order to unleash and redirect the energy towards your deepest passions. When you learn to hear and trust your inner voice and identify areas of your life where your core energy is either blocked or flowing in the wrong direction, you are ready to begin to dream of new possibilities and exciting alternatives.

I created the acronym “Dream” to reflect the following: D isengage from commotion and chaos.
R ecognize your hopes and dreams. E mbrace the present moment. A chieve a state of quiet reflection. M ake a choice to release the PAST. I am not referring to the type of dreaming you do while asleep, rather an act of dreaming that can only be accomplished when you are completely, intensely awake. To be awake in your life is to be connected through all of your senses to the present moment rather than lost in the past or the future. When you achieve a state of mindfulness your senses are heightened and the world is more vibrant- colors appear brighter, sounds become crisper and your thoughts flow in and out of your conscious mind with incredible ease.

When you are embroiled in the commentary of your mind you cannot achieve a state of mindfulness. When you remain attached to the past or the future you fail to exist in the present moment. If you are not mindful, you cannot dream. When you disengage from mental chatter and shift your focus from the past and the future back to the present moment, you are ready to begin the process of conscious dreaming. To begin the process of dreaming you must disengage from mental noise and chaos, break your attachment to excessive productivity, external stimulation and daily routine, enter into a state of quiet reflection and appreciate the gift of inner peace and stillness.

When you accomplish the above, you are ready to release the pain of the PAST. As you have probably noticed, I am quite fond of acronyms. I created the acronym PAST to stand for the following:

P rocrastination, A voidance, S tagnation, T repidation. When you are stuck in the pain of the PAST, you are burdened with mind identification and estranged from your inner voice. When you release the pain of the PAST, you are able to enter into a state of quiet reflection to begin to visualize the life you were meant to live. To release the pain of the PAST, you must bust through your shackles of fear to begin to allow positive change into your life. It all starts with a future vision. Your future vision is like a road map- it guides you in the direction you were meant to travel and it is created by the deepest voices of your soul.

The act of dreaming should be fun and exciting. It is an opportunity to release your inhibitions, unleash your creative juices and tap into your deepest passions. Allow yourself to be as extravagant and outrageous as you wish. Take a moment to project yourself one year into the future and visualize yourself living a perfect day. Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths and enter into a state of quiet reflection. Where are you, who are you with, how do you feel and what are you doing? Describe in detail your physical environment, your appearance (hair, body, clothing, etc) and what you are thinking and feeling. How is your life different in your future vision from the way it is today? What has changed and what has remained the same? How have you changed and how have you remained the same? When you complete the visualization process, commit today to begin taking the steps you must take to turn that vision into a reality.

Consider this wise and poignant quote: That which the dream shows is the shadow of such wisdom as exists in man, even if during his waking state he may know nothing about it….We do not know it because we are fooling away our time with outward and perishing things, and are asleep in regard to that which is real within ourself. ~Paracelsus, quoted in The Dream Game

It is life’s daily routine, attachment to external stimulation and relentless productivity that keep you away from dreaming. It is a state of quiet reflection, inner stillness and the deepest voices of your soul that move you towards dreaming. Relax your body, quiet your mind, shut down your computer, silence your cell phone, take a few deep breaths and begin today to listen to the deepest voices of your soul. There is no time better than the present moment to begin to dare yourself to dream.

Risa Mason is a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice in Charleston, S.C. She specializes in coaching people towards inner peace and fulfillment by teaching them how to live, dream and thrive. You may contact her for individual or group coaching, or public speaking engagements at
843-769-0444, risamason68@comcast.net, or http://www.risamason.com