A friend told me about a weird dream she had. She was walking down some stairs and then went outside to do some shopping, without experiencing any problem whatsoever. But, going back home and trying climbing up the same stairs, she just couldn’t do it. Her legs were aching terribly.
They felt as heavy as lead. She tried different ways, such as removing her shoes and shifting sideways, but to no avail.
Nevertheless, she didn’t give up and, in spite of the great effort she had to make to drag herself up on each step, she finally found herself where she wanted to be. I have never believed in dream interpretation, although many do. That is why “dream dictionaries” can be found everywhere, from the Web to different publications, books and magazines. Authoritative psychologists proclaim that dreams express our deepest feelings, fears and needs.
I may accept that at the very bottom of the oneiric expression there might be a hidden psychological situation of which we are unaware but, as to the actual identification of specific facts, I am rather skeptical. Therefore, here I am using my friend’s dream only as a similitude. Climbing up the stairs may be compared to our desire to improve ourselves, to become better and better, to evolve spiritually. We need to do that and we know it, although sometimes we may not realize it. More often than not such process is difficult but it is certainly worthwhile.
If, in her dream, my friend hadn’t struggled to reach the top, she would have remained on the ground floor forever. We have been told that nothing is given for free, that the most difficult goals are the most worth reaching, that striving, making great efforts to achieve something will be rewarded with success. It is all true.
Think of this scene. See yourself in front of a high mountain. You want to reach the top and you have two possibilities. Either you choose the aerial lift in a cable car or you decide to try and climb it yourself. In the first case you reach the summit in a few minutes, with no effort whatsoever on your part. In the second, you walk, and climb, and walk and climb... How do you feel when you reach the top and enjoy the view, a bit short-breathed?
And don’t forget the many little details you notice, enjoy looking at, even learn from, while going up: Beautifully shaped rocks, wild flowers, iridescent insects, little crawling creatures that zoom away in the sun.... If you avoid the fatigue of climbing, you won’t enjoy total fulfillment when your job is done. Even worse, you might decide not to go up at all, because you are also afraid of stepping into the hanging cabin that can take you up in no time. And you will have missed out on a beautiful experience.
The same will happen if you allow life’s challenges to deter you, to scare you. If you are afraid of the effort necessary to give up unhealthy, dangerous or simply boringly repetitive habits, you will go on remaining stuck in a groove, knowing that you have a way out but... you are not brave enough to take it.
On the other hand, think of how much better you will feel once you’ve won your battle, all by yourself. Others might help you, but the decision and the commitment are only yours. Improving who you are needs to be your top priority because in this process you achieve what is possibly the most important goal in your earthly existence.
— Elsa Franco Al Ghaslan, a Saudi English instructor and published author (in Italy), is a long-time scholar of positive thinking.
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