they can say it all sounds crazy 🎶 😝

As I was sitting down to write, a song came onto the station... "A million Dreams" as performed by P!nk (and also heard in the movie/soundtrack of The Greatest Showman).

Do you know it?

Here are a couple of the verses:

They can say, they can say it all sounds crazy

They can say, they can say I've lost my mind

I don't care, I don't care, if they call me crazy

We can live in a world that we design

'Cause every night, I lie in bed

The brightest colors fill my head

A million dreams are keeping me awake

I think of what the world could be

A vision of the one I see

A million dreams is all it's gonna take

Oh, a million dreams for the world we're gonna make

It speaks of the possibilities for the future, inspired by the dreams, visions, and imagination in the present.

It reminds me of how important it is to stay connected to the possibilities, without losing touch with the direct actions required in the present for that possibility to become a reality.

The present is the only place where we can effect change.

Many times people misunderstand the same thing about therapy that they misunderstand about social and racial justice advocacy.

Talking about the past, or the future, is all ultimately beneficial because of how it connects back to the present.

Whether in therapy or in advocacy, we don't discuss the difficulties of the past to get lost or consumed in the rage, trauma, sadness, or heartbreak. We process, heal, and learn from the past to better understand and change the present.

Similarly, we don't focus on the hopes, dreams, or aspirations of the future to spiritually bypass, overlook, or deny the realities of the present and past. We dream of something better so that we can make choices in the present that guide us toward that vision.

As I spoke this week with clients and new connections, I found myself offering this reminder...

The farther you focus from the present, the less influence you have.

Ultimately, the place to make a difference is in the here and now. The dreams or fears of the future, the joys or traumas of the past, offer places of learning, reflection, and insight. They can offer a map.

And, if you want to have a direct influence and impact, that can only happen and build from what you do in the present.

So please, keep learning, keep dreaming, and keep feeling...and apply it all to the influence you want to have in this moment.

You matter. You can make a difference. I'm so thankful you're here.