I’ve had a recurring dream where I fly. And I’ve had it so many times that I’ve found there is a technique to “dream flight” and I think I’ve got it down.

I think it’s important to analyze dreams. I believe they are our minds trying to make sense out of life’s problems. And I’ve learned a very valuable lesson from this recurring flying dream.

The way I’ve discovered how this flight works is like so. I have to really focus on it, and suddenly I start to float. It feels like a muscle deep inside that I never knew was there, but after I use it once, I know how to activate it. It’s a lot like pushing a gas pedal in a car but the pedal is very… heavy, I guess is the right word? It requires some mental energy, or focus, to “press down.” But once I finally manage to press it, I start to float. 

If I manage to stomp the gas too hard, I’ll rocket into the air. It’s actually similar to riding one of those rolling hoverboard things. Lean just a little bit one way and I go slow in that direction. Lean too hard in another direction and I go flying, and often lose control. I shoot up vertically, like the Doctor Doom ride at Islands of Adventure that had traumatized me as a kid. That’s usually when I sputter awake.

But I’ve had this dream so many times now that I’ve discovered how to control it fairly well.

And since I believe dreams tell us things about our daily struggles, I’ve learned something it.

If you have your mind set on something, especially something as seemingly impossible as flying, you might discover that it’s possible if you focus. If you apply yourself. But if you don’t give it enough effort, you’ll never get off the ground. You’ll stumble along, maybe lifting your toes every once in a while. You might hover in the air for a few seconds and think you finally have it, but lose the momentum, fall, and start back at zero. On the other hand, once you discover how hard you need to push that gas pedal, you will start to fly. But you don’t know how to keep control once you’re in the air.

If you have a goal you want to accomplish and you overthink it, it can be easy to get overwhelmed. When you really stop and consider what all is required to make your goals a reality, it can seem impossible. You might think how many other people in the world are doing the same thing as you, who are doing it a lot better than you, who are smarter than you, have more resources than you, and the list goes on. 

Find a middle ground. Find that sweet spot and concentrate on it. And only it. If you let off of the gas, you’ll sink a little, but it’s no big deal. Push hard again. Just not too hard.