What are we all so afraid of?

I recently ran a coaching workshop for women and started with a simple icebreaker. Go up to someone in the group, tell them your name and what your dream is, then the other person does the same. There is no need to respond, there's no commentary, it's simply an opportunity to say your dream aloud to someone who is listening. Then move on to someone else, repeat, repeat.

There was a look of horror from many in the room when they heard this was the ice breaker. Some silent murmurings of 'I don't have any dreams'. With a bit of peer pressure everyone went for it and very quickly faces opened up and smiles and laughs were forthcoming as wonderful women shared dreams of 'moving nearer to the sea', 'becoming a carpenter', 'starting a school', 'getting a dog', 'starting my own business'. Wonderful, honest, beautiful dreams.

And yet what is so daunting about saying it out loud? What are we all so afraid of? ......."what if it doesn't come true, what if I look stupid, what if I look too arrogant, too big for my boots, what if my dream is too small, too unimaginative, what if someone else's dream is better?!" And on and on goes the inner critic, our own inner critic, the one we feed and water every day! Yet when those women shared their dreams, put a voice to them, started to feel them, they all took one step closer to making their dreams a reality. It starts with not being afraid to voice it.

 What's your dream?