Changing the Future -- Example 2

The following dream is the second example of a dream of the probable future that I could change. This example is also included in my book The Man Who Sees Tomorrow in His Dreams. This dream is different from my first example because this dream reflected what would continue to happen rather than something new occurring, unless I changed. In the first example, something bad was going to happen if I didn’t change my behavior. This dream reflected a continuing unpleasant situation for my future, unless I changed. In the dream, I was a slave aboard a ship subjected to a severe taskmaster. A voice in the dream said, “It would not be nearly so bad if you didn’t struggle so much.”

At this point in my life, early in my professional career, I was very unhappy with my job and felt trapped, like a slave on a ship. For several reasons, an immediate job change was not feasible. Psychologically, and emotionally, I strongly resisted my situation. There was little outward display, but inwardly I was in turmoil. If I continued on that course, nothing would change and I would undoubtedly have become very bitter. The dream was clearly saying that I should learn to go with the flow and my situation would improve, if not outwardly, then inwardly in terms of my state of mind. I was making the job situation much worse than it needed to be. I spent several weeks thinking about the dream and the situation with my job. Finally, I began to make some small changes in my outlook, and then with some success I found opportunities for greater change. My state of mind began to improve gradually, and soon the job itself showed improvement with greater opportunities and satisfaction. The outer conditions reflected the inner changes. Eventually, I worked into a position I truly enjoyed.

Later while managing people, I sometimes saw my earlier self in those who reported to me. And often my challenge as a manager was not to instill some new technical skill, but to help the individuals see that the limitations and problems they saw were frequently of their own making. In the process of earning a living, we are always facing challenges. As a manager for many years, I constantly reminded myself that if there were no problems for me to solve, my position would be redundant. I was paid to deal with challenges, and a bad situation or job can always be improved with the right attitude.

Dreams of a probable future that we can change can occur in a variety of ways. However, whether we see the future and want to change it or are unaware of an unpleasant event that can be avoided lying in our future, the answer lies in the present. In the present, we can make changes for a better future. And views from our dreams can help us become aware of and accomplish those changes.