At the end of my Alaska trip, I had a dream. I was in medical school, but I hadn't attended any of the classes. I found myself in the entry way to a room full of cadavers. I needed to decide. Would I go in and wing it, or would I walk away, sheepishly admitting I knew nothing about being a physician?
At first glance, this seemed like a typical stress dream. Many of us have them - we are unprepared for a test, not dressed properly for a party, don't have the book for our college class, or we have overslept and missed something important.
However when I unpacked this dream and practiced the analysis technique I'd learned as a coach, I discovered something surprising.
I asked the dream elements what they wanted me to know. Med School said there was a good reason I hadn't been there - it wasn't a fit for me. The dead bodies agreed. They said, "Carla, stop being distracted by things you're not interested in. We are not part of your story."
Ever since that dream, I've been looking at everything around me and questioning whether it's a "dead body" that I can peacefully release. So much doesn't belong to me. So many interesting and worthy paths are not my chosen pursuits. How freeing.
I encourage you to look at your life and see where you've got cadavers stacked up. Are you in "med school" and don't want to be there? What in your life is completely out of alignment with who you are and what you want? What is it time to shed? Any holiday "dead bodies" that you can release and welcome peace and empty space in their place?