THE BEGINNING OF THE END…

At last! Finished 30 blogs. Learned something new in the internet, but I still don’t like blogging, especially with deadlines and number-of-words limitation. Too much stress! This was quite an experience. We’ll meet again blog. Very soon…

REDEFINING SUCCESS IN TODAY’S SOCIETY

There is a radical transformation taking place in the U.S. as people from all walks of life are crumbling from stress, fatigue and burnout. Why? They trade time for money and never have enough money, so they attempt to trade more time for more money and so the cycle goes. “More for less” seems to be the corporate cry issued via conference call by a prematurely balding executive in a black, rolling chair. He symbolizes success of a waning generation, while his once faithful and hopeful protégés are increasingly reluctant to climb the ladder, choosing to keep their families instead of their “office with a view”. Yes, the monetary rewards are still there waiting for the exchange- time for money- but another commodity is ever diminishing: Happiness, purpose and satisfaction. Laborers and middle management - even executives - are asking the question: “How can I be happy and satisfied?”


We’ve proved as a society over and over again that money alone is not the answer. A close look at Hollywood, Nashville, and New York will confirm this theory as noted celebrities are repeatedly headlined for their miserable behavior.  Lack of money is not their problem. Screaming fans elevate them to God-like status, convincing them of their invincibility. Lack of fame is not their problem. As they sit in a hotel room all alone in Somewhere, America, they ask themselves a question: “How can I be happy and satisfied?”
Growing populations of people are answering that question in simple form: “I will be happy with what I have!” What a concept! The Andy Griffith Show is a prime example. With a sense of community, a guitar and a fishing pole, this little unconventional family flowed through life with gratitude, intention and purpose. Their meals were taken together and together they partook of life-happy and satisfied.

Can life really be that way? Voluntarily simplifying your life is not a “Pollyanna” concept limited to the charmed life of television characters, nor is it a glamorized form of “doing without”.  It is a way to live that point to having only what you need and being happy with those things. It also emphasizes taking the time to take care of what you have. It is about saving and re-using. It is a long overdue step away from consumerism.
 
A general positive attitude and a sense of community and connection lead to happiness as well as fulfilling other basic human needs. Without connectivity, life takes on a meaningless quality and becomes a hopeless endeavor.

Other people and our relationships to them are the measure of success. We will undoubtedly refer back to how well we fostered our relationship with our spouses, children and others in our neighborhoods and communities at the end of our lives when the inventory is taken. What can we do now? Work less. Be happy with what we have. Laugh, love and be extraordinarily conscious of the blessings we already possess, not in real estate and deeds, but in human commodities: son, daughter, and friend.

THE MOST COMMON DREAMS THAT PEOPLE HAVE

 
Dreams tell us the secrets of our subconscious. They expose the feelings, thoughts and fears that people are afraid to confront during waking hours. By analyzing your dreams, you can get to the bottom of your own motivations, hopes and fears. What you’re dreaming about may not symbolize the future, but it can illuminate the present. Driving a Car in a dream is symbolic of the way you ‘drive’ your life. If the car is traveling serenely down familiar roads, it reflects contentment or satisfaction. If the car is careening out of control on a road you don’t recognize (or off the road completely), maybe that’s how you feel about the way your life is going. Perhaps it represents a fear that your life has or will spin out of control.
 
Being Naked
 
Dreams of being naked- especially in public- suggest that the dreamer is feeling exposed or fears being exposed. How they react to being naked in the dream indicates how they feel about the exposure. If you’re walking calmly down a busy midday street without a stitch on, maybe you‘re happy about revealing some secrets.
 
Chasing or Being Chased
 
Chasing something in a dream is like chasing something in real life: it represents your efforts to achieve a goal. Being chased reflects anxiety and fear. If you pay attention to who is chasing you, where you are and how far they are behind you, you learn about your own anxieties. Dreams of being chased also suggest a tendency to flee, rather than confront, your problems.
 
Flying
 
Flight dreams are often a form of lucid dream. Lucid dreams are dreams where you know you are dreaming. Dreamers in flight often feel happy, content, as if they have risen above their problems. Wobbly flight indicates that you are unsure about your position “above-it-all”.
 
Falling
 
Dreams of falling mean failure. Either the dreamers believes they have failed or they fear failure. It can also mean the dreamer feels as though they are falling into an indiscretion- usually a sexual one. Dreams where you feel you are falling and wake with a jerk are a primal reaction- it probably helped our primitive ancestors stay alert. These are called hypnic jerks.
 
It can help you cope with your emotions if you keep a dream journal. A little time spent each morning thinking about your dreams and what they mean can help you decide how to go about life during the day. After spending the night falling naked through the air or crashing a car, you should be ready for anything.