Who doesn’t like dreams? Sweet dreams, big dreams, pipe dreams, we’re taught in our culture that, “Ya gotta have dreams.” The other day I was contemplating a tarot card about dreams. The seven of cups is sometimes interpreted as being so caught up in your dreams and imagination that it might be hard to see reality. I caught myself saying aloud as I looked at the card, “If you can dream it, you can be it.” But is it the act of dreaming that leads becoming all you can be?

Popular theories on thoughts becoming things sometimes lead people to believe that the dream is enough, that a vision board is a magic wand that brings everything you want into your life. I’m torn regarding this thought process. On the one hand I have vision boarded for years, even before I knew what I was doing. I have dreamed about goals, and jobs, and men (I’ve had much more luck with the goals and the jobs though) and I have had them come to fruition in sometimes quite magical ways. Was it the dream alone that brought me my desires? Actually, I don’t think it was, although I will give God credit for granting some truly outrageous and fabulous dreams that I didn’t deserve or raise a hand to accomplish.

I think we have to look at our definition of dreaming. For some people, to dream means to imagine, oftentimes wildly impossible things. It can be seen as a passive past-time that often leads to wasted hours and opportunities. People who see dreaming in this light often offer phrases like, “I wish” or “If only”. It’s as if the act of dreaming was satisfying enough on it’s own. They dream about getting married but when faced with the chance of a date, don’t want to put forth the effort to meet someone new. They believe the right person will magically walk into their life, even though their life consists of work and their couch. I guess there’s always the bug man…

I believe that people who make their dreams come true view dreaming as an active process. Sure, there are times where they let their imaginations wander to the “I wish” and “if only” section of the store, but more often than not they walk straight into the “what if?” or “why not?” department. They dream, they believe, and then they act.

Real dreaming may begin in the imagination, but comes alive through our choices. Taking the feelings and benefits that we experience when we dream and knowing that we can make them a reality, that’s what dreaming is all about. That’s the reason that things on my collages (now called vision boards) have appeared in my life, not magic. I dreamed and I chose to tell others what I dreamed. When given the opportunity I actively sought the path to my imaginings.

So yes, “Ya gotta have dreams” and yes, “If you dream it, you can be it,” but if you really want to be happy – you have to choose to dream actively. Passive dreaming is passive living. It can be a very peaceful existence if you are satisfied with your life. However, if you imagine bigger and better things for yourself, or if you long to truly grow into a better person, using an active definition for dreaming is the way to make all your dreams come true.