This feeling is a sticky cloud. It hangs around me, it moves with me, it's not heavy or anything but it's always there.

So I ask it...

Behind compared to what?

Compared to where I want to be.

Where do you want to be?

More present, more spacious, more creative.

Isn’t that available to you right here?

Yeah but…

But?

And the cloud disappears in a puff of smoke.

"I AM BEHIND" usually just means you're comparing yourself to some kind of externally imposed idea of who you are, where you should be, and what is actually possible for you.

These externally imposed ideas come out of dominant culture. (I started working on what might be a verrrrry long post about what dominant culture is, in relation to how it impacts us spiritually, creatively and with our dreams)

So these ideas aren't acknowledging you who really are. In a multitude of ways.

And I am behind suggests a linear path that doesn't exist.

In reality, when it comes to creative dreaming, you can feel completely stuck one day and be moving a million miles an hour the next day.

Where you are in this moment is not relevant to anything.

Journal Prompts for when you feel behind:

Where do you want to be?

Why do you want to be there, and not here? You really need to be articulate this clearly.

What does the path between here and there look like?

Are you acknowledging how far you've already come?

Is there something you are doing that is slowing you down and do you feel ready to stop doing it?

Is there a chance that the pace you're moving at is the right pace?

Do you trust yourself to get there in the right time?

Are you showing up in the ways you want to show up?

One of the cardinal rules of Creative Dreaming is that the path will not look like you think it will.

We are *always* wrong about what it will take to get to our dream.

A L W A Y S

Are you judging your process based on your (incorrect!) preconceived notions of what you thought the path would look like?

Are you judging your process based on how you see other people doing it? (AKA comparing your insides to their outsides?)

Are you acknowledging how brave you are for showing up at all?

What does this part of you who feels behind really need from you?

(Beyond you "being there already".... what does it REALLY need? Safety? Approval? Love? Validation?)

Embracing your process and being proud of your progress is a thing that comes with practice.

Just like every other part of Creative Dreaming!

This is why we practice together every day in the Creative Dream Incubator Coaching Membership.

Creative Dream Incubator Coaching Membership members:

Come to the forum to share your thoughts or start a conversation about whatever you're working with.

Get your next Dream Book lesson or get a weekly journaling + alchemy kit.

Go the Library of Creative Dream Alchemy to find a practice that fits for where you are or use the Dream Lab if you're not sure where to start.

Check out the calendar of upcoming calls. Make a plan to join us live or catch a replay.