Your Possibilities

So, this morning is the first day of summer vacation and my daughter wakes up with the flu. Unbelievable. Unable to sleep, she asks the usual, for me to sit with her and watch a movie. This is at about 6 in the morning, by the way. We picked Last Holiday, a Queen Latifah favorite of both of ours. Of course, within minutes, she was fast asleep and I was hooked.

In the story, without giving away too much, the main character has lived her whole life waiting. She has created this Book of Possibilities which she spends a lot of time mooning over. It is filled with her wishes, places she wants to see, people she wants to meet, even food she wants to try. Her book has become a wish list kept at arms length. Everything remains a possibility, an abstract dream that she never seems to reach out for.

Well, it got me to thinking. Queen Latifah was halfway there. SHE KNEW WHAT HER DREAMS WERE. That is more than a lot of people can say. But her error was in focusing on the book, not where the book could take her. Her fear stopped her at the possibility and she didn’t work on making the reality. For the record, that is just the beginning of the movie. You have to see the whole thing to see what happens to her.

But back to possibilities. I mean, maybe we should all have a possibilities book, except maybe we should call it our PBR book, possibilities become realities. The Queen Latifah character hid behind her dreams instead of reaching out to them.
While I was watching her interview at the end of the movie, yes I watched the special features; she talked about embracing “life as an adventure.” I wonder how much each of us knows what our own Book of Possibilities looks like, and further, how many of us know how to turn those dreams into reality. For Queen Latifah, one decision linked to another. Every time she took a step toward her “possibilities” it led to another.

What was interesting about her Book and what makes it different is that it is a bit childlike. It uses art, like collaging and photos to create pictures of what she wants to have and be. What an idea. Instead of writing goals, to create a book of possibilities, using different art mediums, old photos cut up, brochures, even magazine clippings, all to create a picture from your mind's eye.

Today I suggest you spent a little time considering your own possibilities. Maybe even start a possibilities book for yourself using art instead of writing as your medium and see what it brings.

Keep in mind that using art to highlight your dreams actually uses a different part of your brain and makes your mind open up and work in different ways. Who knows what will end up on the canvas. And then follow in Queen Latifah's footsteps and take one step at a time in the direction of that picture.

I encourage you to share your possibilities and how you intend to make them reality in the comments section of this article. And definitely I encourage you to share these dreams with those you love!

Dictionary.com says “possible” means “that can be done.”

Jump in!

Remember to make the moment happen!

Maria