(to listen to this blog post click here:https://www.podbean.com/media/player/pktib-5f8dd6?skin=1 )

I had a dream last night. I have forgotten most of it. The part that I cannot forget is VERY vivid. I especially remember the FEELING and atmosphere of the remembered part of this dream.There was a TALL tree. SO tall. It was almost like a HUGE evergreen where the branches are only at the top … but at the top where the branches were there was a platform kind of like a tree house. The platform was in and around the branches, making all of the branches very accessible. This tree was needing to be pruned, or shaped.

My friend (this is a person in my real life who is super inspirational to me. She is a warrior … she goes for what she wants, puts ALL of her effort toward achieving her goals and always knows success.) climbed that tree and began cutting the branches off. The branches were thick and REALLY hard to cut, but she was determined and gave EVERYTHING she had to shape the tree in the way it was meant to be shaped.

She had this fire in her eyes and almost a “ROAR” of energy about her being. She was always moving, always focused, there was sweat on her brow. She kept saying “You can’t just see what you want or what it’s supposed to be and hope it turns in to that, you have to GIVE ALL YOU CAN GIVE to get there.” Over and over she determinedly cut those branches and with grit and pure will she spoke to herself about just doing what needed to be done and not worrying about how much work it took. And as she watched each branch that was meant to be pruned fall and “thump” to the ground, she would smile and you could see a look of accomplishment in her eyes. She would then move on the to the next branch, knowing it was going to be a ton of work, but just getting in there and giving 100% until the job was done.

There were quite a few people under the tree. Many of them were “loafing” around not doing anything … sort of zombie like. Many of them were looking up at the girl in the tree – the view from the bottom of the tree was of a wild crazy girl going nuts with a saw. But as I was taking in the whole of the scene, I could see that the people beneath the tree didn’t truly understand that THAT determined effort was HOW she was able to receive what she desired. Her “crazy single minded focus” on what she desired was the GIVING and then because she gave her all, she DID receive what she wanted, her goals were accomplished. The branches that were meant to be pruned DID fall. And the joy and expansion came because of that.

Those beneath the tree had desires too. They had hopes and dreams as well. But they weren’t willing to climb the trees to reach the spot that they could “manifest” their desires. They weren’t willing to climb, and they weren’t willing to give that level of effort and focus to their desires … the pure “crazy will” that is necessary to accomplish their goals. They looked at that amount of effort and thought it was insane. They saw it as crazy. They didn’t understand that the single focus and the WILL to press forward no matter what, believing that as long as you keep cutting the branch it will eventually fall, is what makes it be. The “keep moving forward” attitude is necessary. The “crazy single minded focus” is necessary. The pure desire and determination is necessary, but they didn’t see.

As my remembrance of the dream fades, I can still FEEL the atmosphere of it. Those beneath the tree were apathetic. They were only “warm” or “cold” … not HOT. They were indifferent not determined. They were not even fully focused on what they desired, they were spreading their energy to so many different things that nothing was really accomplished.

The girl in the tree was determined. She was on fire. She was FULL of life and desire and 100% focus on her goal. She would NOT give up, not for anything. She KNEW that whatever she wanted to do would happen, and so no matter what it took, how long it took, the effort needed to accomplish it, she gave it. She kept working at that branch, sawing away until it gave way and fell. And as each branch fell, she felt this sense of accomplishment and success and joy. She had given ALL she could give and because of that she knew ONLY success.

The attitude of those looking up was interesting too. They looked at her like she was crazy. Like that amount of effort was unnecessary and ridiculous. She was a “zealot.” She was like a wild thing that needed to be tamed. Those looking up saw her as insane and rolled their eyes. Even though she accomplished ALL her goals without fail, they brushed that off and said to themselves and each other that that level of “devotion” was unnecessary and crazy and not needed. They were “right.” She was nuts. They were living “truly” even though none of them accomplished much, that didn’t matter … they only “saw” from their limited “ground” perspective and so couldn’t understand.

The girl at the top of the tree didn’t even really care or worry about anyone else and how “crazy” they thought she looked. She was so focused on her goals and her effort that what anyone else was doing was irrelevant. She was just working her little heart out KNOWING that as she put forth the effort she would receive. And so she kept sawing away, telling herself that her effort would produce good results, working at the branch in focus and then removing those branches that needed to be removed and experiencing success and expansion and then continuing forward to the next branch. Over and over, effort and determination … never wavering.

I stood at the bottom of the tree looking up at her. I had knowledge of BOTH mindsets. I understood the girl in the tree and her “way” and why she was doing it MORE than the people at the bottom of the tree … to me, in the dream, those beneath the tree didn’t see the whole picture. And yet, I was still at the bottom of the tree looking up.

**************************I continually tell myself, my kids, and write it here on this blog etc. that I can do whatever I desire to do. I can accomplish ALL of my goals. I tell all of those within my influence that they too can do ANYTHING if they just choose it and work toward it. Without limit.

This dream is a PERFECT way to exemplify HOW we accomplish what we desire. We just keep moving forward. We work for it. We put one foot in front of the other no matter what. We give our WHOLE focus to it. We TELL ourselves we CAN do anything and to KEEP going. We focus so fully on what WE are doing that others and what THEY are doing are unimportant. We don’t compare ourselves to them, we just work our little booties off for our goals.

If we can help inspire others toward THEIR goals … YES! That’s EVEN better! But we don’t look at them and think that what they’re doing or saying diminishes what we’re doing. We don’t listen to others if they think we’re crazy or insane. We just keep moving forward toward our dreams KNOWING that as much effort as we give, we WILL receive that back.

My focus MUST be on my goals. I must choose EVERY day, every moment to move forward TOWARD my goals. As I focus my WILL to accomplishing what I desire to accomplish, I have faith that it will manifest in my experience as I continue forward with my full focus. And then I keep moving forward. Length of time doesn’t matter. I could “saw at those branches” for years … it’s unimportant how long it takes. Only that I keep sawing. Keep moving. Keep holding that goal in my focus. And then hold my faith on the fact that it will be and put forth ALL effort toward that end.

I must climb that tree. I must stand up at the top on the platform and put forth ALL effort to what I desire. Whatever it is, whatever effort it takes … when I give my all, I know I will accomplish my goal. And it will be in perfect timing.

So this moment, I just keep moving forward. When it’s hard, I tell myself “You CAN do this. Keep sawing. Keep moving. Hold success in mind.” When I feel like I can’t go any further, I focus on the next movement … little by little I accomplish my goal. When I’m able to step back and see the whole picture I understand that every tiny movement forward IS MOVEMENT FORWARD. No matter how small, it’s still forward movement. And that’s all that matters.

Keep moving forward. You will accomplish your goals. It is not a question of IF … it is only a question of WHEN … and when doesn’t matter. It will be, that is the only outcome when you’re giving ALL you can give. So just keep moving little by little – and KNOW that you will know success and it will be joyful.

When you have any tiny moment of success throw your hands in the air, jump up and down, FEEL it, smile to yourself and say “thank you” to the universe and then get right back in there with renewed desire and keep moving forward. That FIRE, that “ROAR” within you builds and builds until there’s no doubt left, only excitement and joy.

It’ll be worth it. It’ll be awesome. Begin today to climb your tree with determination that you CAN and you WILL reach the top, and then when you get there, start sawing away at your goals. Little by little, inch by inch, millimeter by millimeter you keep moving. Every movement forward is a tiny success. Feel it, renew your energy in the little successes and pretty soon they will be bigger and more noticeable and one day in the very near future the branch will fall, and it will be EXACTLY what you were aiming for. And you will have expanded your being. Joy comes in the expansion.

There is no limit, there is no wasted effort … the only possibility is success. Keep THAT as your focus and go.

(FYI – I am a tree lover/tree hugger by nature, I generally wouldn’t advocate chopping down trees in the forest or cutting off all the branches of beautiful big fir trees. This was a dream. Symbolic! No trees should be harmed because you read this blog post. 🙂 Please. Don’t actually climb a tree to cut down its branches. Instead see that the symbolism is that we each are LIKE a tree … we have parts of ourselves that must be “pruned” or released in order to fully thrive and move forward. This dream is a reminder to focus all of our efforts on our dreams, our goals, our desires – to give 100% – to keep moving, keep working – no effort is too small – and yes, there are parts of us that we will let go of, grow out of, “saw off” or prune. That is as it should be. That is growth. In order to “grow into” our divine potential the parts that no longer serve us go away and in the pruning of those “branches” we are able to see more clearly, breathe more easily, and become more truly WHOLE.)