I woke up this morning with memories of a dream about work:
I am scheduled for two jobs at once and have to decide which one to go to. One of the jobs is my old high school job at a pizza place. The other job isn’t mentioned so I don’t know what it is, but I sense that it’s more important. I decide to call the pizza place and say sorry, can’t make it.
A few months ago I had the same dream theme: I was scheduled for two jobs and couldn’t be in two places at once. One job was the pizza place.
So here’s my interpretation. Right now I work two jobs, plus I moderate the dreams forum at Reddit, write books, and have two blogs, one of which hasn’t been worked on in months. Oh, and I have a house under renovation. Recently I had three days off from my two jobs (the jobs that provide regular income), and despite a long list of things I wanted to accomplish, I farted around and only got a little bit done. I felt aggravated that I couldn’t push myself harder. On the other hand, I knew I needed some down time. Yesterday, realizing I had to be back at my primary, bill-paying job, I hurried to accomplish some things on my to-do list.
This dream relates to an old conflict: I have bigger ambitions than motivation. I have time — that’s not the issue. The conflict is more about knowing that I need focus; too many different things to do pulls me in different directions — I’m not built to be a multi-tasker. When I have a writing project, I can work all day at it. But when it comes time to do all of the little things to promote my writing, I have a hard time with it because there are too many separate things to do. Give me one task that takes ten hours and I’ll knock it out. Give me ten tasks that each take an hour and it’ll knock me out!
Resolution: Dreams are, in one sense, a call to action. It’s great to know what a dream means, but if the meaning is not applied to waking life, it’s not much use. This dream tells me that I have too much on my plate. Time to simplify. The reference in the dream to my high school job I think is related to hourly work. For a long time I’ve wanted to work for myself, and worked toward that goal by writing books (which don’t sell enough to be my only job). Problem is, working for myself is so much more complicated than just punching a clock and getting a regular paycheck.
I’m conflicted and a little disappointed in myself for not having the discipline to do everything I want to. I could buckle down and work harder, sacrificing free time, but I know from past experience that something inside will eventually rebel. In order to keep my energy flowing freely, I have to go wherever it leads. I’ll use this dream as a message that it’s ok to give up something that’s taking my time or energy; it’s ok to limit myself. Focus on what’s most important.