Keep A Dream Journal Why Bother

Title:
Keep a Dream Journal: Why Bother?

Word Count:
475

Summary:
Want a key to unlock your inner wisdom? Try keeping a dream journal. Experts believe that our nighttime dreams deal with concerns, worries, or events that we experience during our waking hours.


Keywords:
goal setting, success


Article Body:
Want a key to unlock your inner wisdom? Try keeping a dream journal.

Experts believe that our nighttime dreams deal with concerns, worries, or events that we experience during our waking hours. A study done in 2003 speculated that about 50-percent of people have work-related nightmares.

In brief, dreams are like moves that streams through our minds, directed and produced by our subconscious. Dreams can help solve knotty problems, or simply give voice to ongoing issues. Some dreamers even implant a before-bed suggestion to dream a solution to a specific problem, like “tonight’s dream will help me overcome my problem with Jack.”

The connection between dreams and our subconscious has been speculated on for centuries. In fact, Aristotle theorized that there is a definite connection between dreams, emotional needs and waking experiences. However, in order to take full advantage of our nighttime movies, we need to keep dream journals that record as much detail as can be remembered.

To fully understand our dreams, experts like Carl Jung and Ira Progoff, believe a series of dreams must be examined, not just a single night’s images. To assist in the interpretative process, the following steps are suggested:

1. Date and time your dream. You may find that the dreams you have just before waking have different themes than those right after going to sleep. When you date your dream, don’t forget to include the year.

2. Title your dreams, like The Monkey Attacked the Cow, Airplanes Explode over the North Pole, or Jack Won’t Stop Pulling My Hair. Over a period of time, you’ll probably find recurring themes, like dreams with spiders, or plane crashes, or being chased.

3. Briefly note the day’s events. If you write down any irritations, worries, angers, or heightened emotions you had during the day, you may be able to see a clear correlation between the day’s events and your dreams.

4. Record your dream in as much detail as possible, including the emotions you experienced during the dream, AND the emotions you experienced in recording the dream. Feel free to illustrate your dream, either through a drawing or photograph.

5. List the important keywords from your dream. These might be words like love, hero, flying, snakes, puppies, peace or death.

6. Interpret the dream. Without using devices like a dream dictionary, try to interpret what you feel the dream was about. Was it about being trapped, breaking free, venting strong emotions, taking a journey, or?? There is no right or wrong answer—so allow yourself the freedom of speculating on a meaning.

7. Look for recurring themes. Once a month, look back through your dream journal, searching for repeating patterns. If you find one, your inner self is trying its best to give you an important message. Don’t forget to look for patterns in your list of important keywords.

Sweet dreams!

BONUS : Title:
Keep That Focus

Word Count:
575

Summary:
One of the things most critical to home business success is defining one's goals. We are continually reminded to write them on paper, giving ourselves a deadline to meet them, so that we can remain focused on our ultimate dreams.


Keywords:
goal setting, success


Article Body:
One of the things most critical to home business success is defining one's goals. We are continually reminded to write them on paper, giving ourselves a deadline to meet them, so that we can remain focused on our ultimate dreams.

We need to keep them in front of us at all times in order to maintain the motivation often needed to get us over the rough spots in our businesses.

Wallace Wattles, in his 1910 classic, "The Science of Getting Rich," states:

"You must form a clear and definite mental picture of what you want. You cannot transmit an idea unless you have it yourself....That clear mental picture you must have continually in mind....The more clear and definite you make your picture then, and the more you dwell upon it, bringing out all its delightful details, the stronger your desire will be."

Does this mean that you must spend hours contemplating your ultimate goal? Of course not. It simply means that you need to know just exactly what it is that you want and want it so badly that it will stay in your thoughts.

I've personally taken this advice very much to heart. Regardless of what your goals are, it's possible for you to use this same method to maintain your own focus.

Let me explain.

My ultimate goal is for my husband and I to be able to retire to the area in which I grew up, the Mississippi Gulf Coast. I have a very definite image of what life will be like for us there, and each day I set aside a few minutes to simply close my eyes and dwell on the mental picture of some of the things we'll be able to enjoy -

walking along the beach at sunset, feeling the warmth of the sand on my bare feet (I can practically smell the salt air when I do this)


shopping in an unhurried atmosphere in the quaint downtown section of Ocean Springs, Mississippi - only a few minutes' drive from the exciting casino action of the neighboring town of Biloxi


reconnecting with friends and family and being able to enjoy reunions that I often missed due to living a long distance away


dining at local restaurants that serve the delicious seafood the area is famous for

I could go on and on, but you get the (mental) picture!

Carrying this one step further, I've gathered together some pictures, postcards, and other memorabilia that reflect the overall atmosphere of the area. These items hang on my wall in my office, right in front of me, so that I can have a constant reminder of exactly what it is that I am working toward.

I'm amazed at the effectiveness of these simple techniques!

You can apply these same methods regardless of what your goals are. Even if what you're working for can't be quite so clearly defined in words and pictures, you can still benefit from these exercises.

During those few minutes each day that you set aside to form your mental "picture," imagine the feelings that you will have when you have reached your own personal goals. Create an affirmation statement, using your computer and some attractive stationery to print it out. Frame this and place it in your own personal work area so that you will have a constant reminder of what exactly it is that you want to accomplish.

Focus, focus, focus....and your dreams WILL come true!