I don't know that I have any advice, since I'm still (always?) living into this same question in various ways. I've been working on an essay about relinquishing the dreams of capitalism, which has brought this inquiry up for me in a big way. One thing that has helped me (and this is probably a boring answer since it's my main answer for everything lol) is list-making. For some reason that's the most accessible and generative format of reflection for me, and in this particular realm it has helped me to better name what specifically I used to want, and why, and which aspects of that dream/desire still fit and which don't. Is there another way to give myself the feeling I wanted when X thing was my dream, but in a way that's more right-fit with my current life and values? That's a question that's been feeling supportive for me lately.
And then more on the letting go side of your question, it helps me to get myself to a place of agency about it at least in some small way, where I can hopefully see that surrendering a past dream is a choice I'm making, and that making that choice doesn't mean that letting go of the dream is easy, effortless, or without grief. I've even thought (and this might be too woo-woo for some) of having a small "funeral" of sorts for dreams it's time to let go of. Not sure what that would look like, but it's been on my mind this year.
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This is a lovely reflection, thank you 🖤
I don't know that I have any advice, since I'm still (always?) living into this same question in various ways. I've been working on an essay about relinquishing the dreams of capitalism, which has brought this inquiry up for me in a big way. One thing that has helped me (and this is probably a boring answer since it's my main answer for everything lol) is list-making. For some reason that's the most accessible and generative format of reflection for me, and in this particular realm it has helped me to better name what specifically I used to want, and why, and which aspects of that dream/desire still fit and which don't. Is there another way to give myself the feeling I wanted when X thing was my dream, but in a way that's more right-fit with my current life and values? That's a question that's been feeling supportive for me lately.
And then more on the letting go side of your question, it helps me to get myself to a place of agency about it at least in some small way, where I can hopefully see that surrendering a past dream is a choice I'm making, and that making that choice doesn't mean that letting go of the dream is easy, effortless, or without grief. I've even thought (and this might be too woo-woo for some) of having a small "funeral" of sorts for dreams it's time to let go of. Not sure what that would look like, but it's been on my mind this year.