Hello,
Welcome.
My name is Lou Redman.
Thank you so much for practicing with me.
I recently watched a lecture called The Last Lecture by Randy Pouch.
This is a Carnegie Mellon professor who found out he had pancreatic cancer and this was the last lecture that he was giving to the faculty and it went viral online and then it also became a book that you could read from The Last Lecture.
And the title of the lecture was How to Achieve Your Childhood Dreams.
And there were a few key takeaways that I wanted to share with you in case you are someone who's interested in pursuing and growing your dreams that I think are important to think about and consider.
The first piece that was evident is how important mentorship was for Randy and how he thought about it.
It's so crucial to be in the sphere of others who have already done the thing that we are doing.
Others that are invested in our journey.
Now,
We could pay mentors and coaches and do things like that,
But honestly,
It's even more powerful when we find a mentor that is invested,
That we're not paying,
That it's not necessarily transactional,
Even though paid relationships could turn into this sort of mentorship,
That there's something powerful of someone that's older.
Investing in our life.
And the way that I want to encourage you if you're exploring how to find a mentor,
One of the number one things is to be useful to them.
So this is where it diverges from a parent where a child doesn't owe a parent anything,
But it's important that if you're looking for a mentor,
They're probably very busy and they don't want to take an unpaid job.
And so finding a way to be useful to them.
Another way is to not be needy.
There's always that essence of whenever someone's feeling desperate or needy that there's a repulsion.
So we want to be unattached when we're seeking out mentorship and people that we might have in our lives that can help us.
And so that's just a couple of notes on mentorship.
We'll explore this in our meditation.
The second piece that I loved Randy talking about was about hitting brick walls.
That when you hit a brick wall in going for your dreams or doing your work,
That is really there to show you and to show the universe,
To show God how badly you actually want something.
It's almost like a filtering effect.
It's like there's going to be a brick wall and most people can be like,
Well,
There's a brick wall.
Wall,
I'm going to be done.
But for the people that really want it,
That's the filter.
It's like we have to go through the brick wall.
And I love this because it speaks to the long game.
That if you're really pursuing your dreams,
Pursuing your life's work,
Be willing to work for it for life.
That it's not about trying to make it all happen in three years,
Five years,
10 years.
It could be something that if you're really,
Really,
Really wanting to pursue,
That this is a long game.
This is a 20,
30,
40,
This is your life's work.
And so embracing those brick walls and also knowing when we're hitting too many brick walls and when it is time to pivot or to shift to something else.
So that takes a certain discernment that we won't get too far into here.
And the third piece I took away was how going for our dreams has a ripple effect.
The impact that makes on the people that are in our sphere,
Future generations even,
Is incredible.
And it made me reflect on this concept of,
In my profession,
Which is all about helping people,
That I spend too much time thinking about myself.
That sometimes it's so important to get out of myself to stop being self-focused and be more self-less,
Where I'm not thinking about myself.
It doesn't mean I'm sacrificing myself,
But to really understand that it's not about me.
And it's about the impact and enabling the dreams of others to be someone that is a catalyst for other people to wake up and realize that they have a potential,
That they have light,
That they have gifts,
That they have to share.
And so let's go into a middle meditation and explore this together.
Turning inwards,
Closing your eyes,
Finding a comfortable posture.
And let's take a conscious breath in through your nose,
Filling up your belly,
Your ribs,
Your chest.
And then sigh,
Slow breath out.
And then allow the breath to be natural,
Letting your body relax into your chair,
Your cushion.
And just taking a few moments to settle,
Shift into this exploration on some of these qualities that I mentioned.
Some of these aspects of pursuing and growing our dreams.
There's this belief I have.
And I'm going to share it with you and just see if this resonates for you.
God put in your heart a dream.
And the journey of a lifetime is becoming the person who can make it real.
Success is not pursued.
It's ensued.
It is the effect of our daily actions of who we are becoming.
And what a beautiful journey it is.
And so feeling into your heart what that dream is.
Maybe you've been working at it for a while.
Or maybe this is brand new and you're just opening to its potential or possibility.
Just take a few breaths into your heart.
Feel how that dream lives inside you.
And then we're going to start focusing on.
The first takeaway that I shared and that is the importance of a mentor.
And so as you continue to relax,
Bring in your heart and your mind and your body.
Connect with a mentor that you've already had on your path.
Someone who had a vested interest in you,
They wanted you to succeed,
They wanted the best for you,
Maybe they even went out of their way to support you.
This might be a teacher,
A relative.
Maybe someone older in your field of interest or career.
Maybe they're still a mentor and maybe they've passed on.
Go ahead and.
.
.
Feel their presence.
And their impact on your life.
And then taking a few moments to thank them.
Appreciate them for the role.
And how they showed up in your life.
And if there wasn't any mentors in your life,
That's okay.
It's more common than you think.
So just having compassion for being your own mentor.
And then thanking again this person,
Letting them move away from your awareness.
And now setting yourself to be open to receive mentorship.
And that demands us to be humble.
To admit that we don't know everything.
In Zen,
They would call it a beginner's mind.
And there's that classic story where the sage is filling a new student's teacup and they keep filling it where it's overflowing.
And the student is like,
Hey,
It's overflowing,
What's going on?
And the sage goes,
Well,
That is like your mind.
And if we try to teach you,
If you already know everything,
There's nothing that can get in.
That we have to empty our cup.
We have to empty that energy that thinks that we have things figured out or that we know.
And so maybe just noticing any of that in you,
Any sort of controlling or I already know that sort of energy.
And as you breathe out,
Feel that emptying with each exhale.
Like you're emptying your cup to receive what wants to come in.
And the beauty of life is also this reciprocity where we're receiving and we're also giving.
So before we move on,
Taking one more moment to notice how you can be a mentor to someone.
Or how you are already being a mentor to someone,
Feel what that energy is like.
And then let's take a breath in.
And letting it go.
And now moving into this idea of coming up against brick walls.
And so imagine a brick wall that you might be coming up against right now.
Maybe you have something that's not working or you keep getting rejected,
Can't seem to break through.
What is it that you see,
If you were to picture it?
Maybe you see an actual wall or something that represents it.
And notice what you feel in your body as you see it.
Remember the walls filter out those who don't really want it.
So be honest with yourself and ask,
Is this something that you really want?
Is this a deep put-in-your-heart desire?
That you can't not pursue.
And if it is,
Let the wall know that.
Let it know that you're here for the long game and you're willing to move through any roadblocks or obstacles and keep going.
And remember,
We don't know what's best for us.
Good or bad,
We do not know.
And so connecting here to God or however you connect to a higher power.
And I'm gonna offer a little prayer,
A little rhyming prayer.
I didn't mean to make it rhyme,
But it does.
And you're welcome to speak this out loud or silently.
If it's meant for me.
May it be so.
If there's something better.
Show me where to go.
If it is meant for me.
May it be so.
If there is something better.
Show me where to go.
And see if you can open here and trust that whatever does unfold is for your good.
And honoring this wall for what it showed you.
And then moving to the last part of this practice.
Just reflecting on how much time do you spend thinking about yourself?
And how much time are you thinking about others?
And just tune in,
What is it like to constantly be thinking about yourself?
You might notice that it feels small and often fear-based.
Constricted And then see what happens if you shift,
You moved out of self.
And just started putting the attention on others.
However that comes to you.
And just notice how that feels.
And reflect how you can feel into this more.
What if you kept your attention on others?
Now,
Of course,
We're going to be constantly thinking about ourselves.
So there's a balance here.
But maybe even feeling how you can be enabling the dreams of others.
That in order to achieve our dreams,
It's also enabling others' dreams.
So just being curious about that or how that might show up in your day or as you go through your week.
And then taking a final breath in.
And letting it go.
Thank you so much for practicing with me.
I encourage you to see how this speaks to you as you go through your day.
See how you notice maybe potential mentors or be a mentor to other people in your life.
And of course,
Noticing those brick walls and seeing and reminding yourself,
Okay,
This is the filtering effect.
I just need to keep going and discerning if you actually really want it,
If you're willing to stay in it for the long game.
If you'd like support,
If you're feeling that uncertainty and just need a boost of upliftment and hope and moving through the challenges,
I'd love to recommend my course,
Unshakeable Peace,
22 Mantras of Hope.
They're short,
Bite-sized tracks just to give us that little boost when we might be feeling down and can use a shift.
So go check that out if that resonates.
And thanks again for practicing with me.
I look forward to connecting with you again.
Very soon.
