When a dream dies, when the thing you’ve wanted for so long is gone, there is a real sense of loss. And you can’t just plug in any dream in place of the old one. What you can do is learn how to dream again by grieving, growing and grabbing.
Allow yourself to grieve.
It’s okay to feel badly about your loss. It’s okay to let yourself experience the full range of your emotions as they relate to your dream. Give yourself some time to work through the stages of your grief. But most importantly, don’t let yourself indulge in self-pity. The sooner you are in a place to accept your new situation, the sooner you’re ready to embrace a new dream.
Allow yourself to grow.
Sometimes focusing on one dream in life gives us a sense of permission to ignore other dreams that come along. Give yourself permission to try new things, to experience new hopes. Embrace the challenges and grow in ways that are different from the old dream. Flex your dream muscles and find some new strength.
Allow yourself to grab hold of the next dream.
Your dream was a part of you. Now that it’s gone, liking another dream might feel a bit like cheating. The last step to healing is to allow your heart and mind to embrace the next vision for your life. You may not have the life that you dreamed of, but if you spend all of your time focusing on what you’ve lost, you’ll never see what you can have. The death of a dream doesn’t have to be the end of your hopes…it could be the beginning of an even better dream.
Have you lost a dream? Are you ready to dream again?
