ep030 - Karen Jordan—Finding Your Safe Place

What happens when you lose your momentum? Life can change in a hurry, bringing your dreams to a screeching halt. It’s in these times, when we often need to find a safe place. 

In author, Karen Jordan’s case, her dream collided with her husband’s, when he retired. As she put it, “Their collision was more like a shipwreck.” 

Because of dealing with years of intensity in the job he was leaving, Karen’s husband was close to burn-out, he was chronically stressed, and wanted to do nothing more than go to a lake with his wife, so he could relax and stare at the water. But Karen was in a place where she needed the opposite. With momentum building in her writing career, she needed to get to work. She needed a place with internet, and quiet space to focus. In that season, their needs were not aligning—they were at 180 degree odds.

Sometimes, the conflict described between this husband and wife doesn’t always come in two bodies, dream-tenders can feel that kind of collision paralleling in us. We can feel a spark of our dreams left, but that’s it. One part of us longs for rest, refreshment, and rejuvenation, while at the same time our mind is screaming, “I need to work. I need to be doing something productive. I. Need. The. Internet!”

This scenario drives home the point of the proverb that says, “As iron sharpens iron, so does one person sharpen another.” There’s no doubt that Karen was learning and growing through the process of tending her dreams in spite of this challenge, but it was painful nonetheless.

 

Filling Needs:

• Are you conflicted by people who don’t understand your passions and goals?
• How do you protect your dream while protecting your relationships in a place of frustration?
• Where is your safe place when the momentum of your dreams is threatened?

Don’t allow a challenge to mushroom into a crisis. Expect difficulties, and understand that growth comes through adversity, but though your momentum may temporarily halt, do not allow it to cause you to give up. Get B.A.C.K. at it. Breathe. Assess. Collect. Kickstart. 

 

This episode’s Dream Planting Tips:

• Be honest about your dream-tending needs with those you love, clearly, respectfully, and firmly—and at an appropriate time. Cool down, never express yourself when you’re angry.

• Accept your emotions as a natural part of the dream-tending process.

• Remember that our dreams don’t always show up the way we want them to. Fear and frustration are inevitable at times, but acknowledging and accepting that fact, can get you back on track.

• If you feel like your dream is in jeopardy, it’s natural to feel defensive, but be careful not to hurt others as you figure out how to alter your course, and keep moving forward. Sometimes you need to close your lips until you are in a better frame of mind for discussion.

• Look in the mirror, as you express your true feelings in this moment. How would you respond to this person? What can you learn from looking them in the eyes?

• If you feel a ship-wreck has thrown your dream against the reefs of life, don’t quit. Put the pieces back together, and lean into the peace-maker, Jesus.

• Get off to yourself, just you and your dream, whenever possible, to retreat, re-evaluate, and restore your energy.

• Inspire yourself by reading Karen’s book, Words That Change Everything.

• Remember this fact: if dream-tending truly was easy, everyone would be out there doing it, but they’re not. Dare to become one of the few who acts in spite of life’s conflicts.

To find out more about Karen Jordan and her book, Words That Change Everything, find her on social media and check out her website, karenjordan.net.

Grab the Tending Your Dreams’ free giveaway at tendyourdreams.com/freebie30 for your gift, just for tuning in. I also have some special eBook pricing for you.

Type in the code TYDeb50 to get your copy of 4x4 Habit Overhaul, or One Minute Intervals™: Sixty Seconds to a Healthier, Foodier You, or Depression Busters, at over half off the normal price. Purchase a book bundle using the same code, and save even more. 

But ACT NOW, before this special eBook discount offer is gone.

 

Until next time, remember, your dreams are waiting for you to grab and tend:

Take courage. 

Excel daily. 

Never stop believing. 

Dare to dream bigger. 

Host Anita Agers Brooks can be found on various social media platforms, and you can discover additional dream tending tips at tendyourdreams.com.