You Deserve Your Dream

From early ages, many of us have dreamed, fantasized, and painted enchanting pictures on our ceiling of success in our most passionate pursuits.

- Noelle Sterne

It’s writing for me, fashion design for my cousin, chess master for her son, Yankees’ shortstop for her other son, first cellist in international symphony for my niece. Every Little League kid dreams of Yankee pinstripes and the Hall of Fame. Every musician dreams of rock (or Philharmonic) stardom and millions. Every actor dreams of dramatic discovery, constant lead roles, adulation, and Oscars. Every writer dreams of bestsellers, big money, movie adaptations, appearances on national TV, and induction into the Kindle Million Club.

Some of us make it. And most of us don’t. Why? Sure, we must work enough, practice enough, pursue enough, and concentrate enough. But there’s another crucial reason—we must feel we deserve our Dream.

DO YOU FEEL YOU DON’T DESERVE YOUR DREAM?

If you feel you don’t deserve your Dream, no matter how much time and sweat you put in, how many movers and shakers you know, how many “lucky” breaks you have, or how gorgeous (or outrageous) you are, you will torpedo yourself. Louise Hay reminds us, “When we have strong beliefs that we don’t deserve, we have problems doing what we want” (The Power Is Within You, p. 164).

Despite countless queries and pitches, I felt undeserving of writing success for a long time. The mounting frustrations forced me, finally, to recognize some of the red lights that kept me gridlocked. See if and how they apply to you.

• Do you feel a vague sense of guilt when you’re doing what you really want to?

• When you’ve just settled down to create, do you suddenly remember you absolutely must go get the car washed or clean out the refrigerator?

• When you’ve marked out the whole afternoon for your project, do you suddenly feel nausea, headaches, dizziness?