I’ve never felt so humiliated or incompetent, so it was a good thing it was only in my dream! I mean how could ALL of my commissioning clients have been in the same event? That would never happen.

I am often staggered at how real dreams are and how they have the ability to rob me of precious restful sleep, because they are so real. This particular dream happened after 6 am when I knew I needed a few more Zzzzzs.

If any of you are dream analysts, I’d love to know what this one means. I was in a large hall like training room, too large for the small number of delegates in attendance.

We were hours into the training when the AV started playing up and rather than showing a video I’d chosen, it kept showing a ball game. I went to get it fixed and when I returned, the large room was now full of people very disgruntled who didn’t really know why they were there.

Worse than that, these bigwig commissioning clients, most of whom I’ve not seen for years and who no longer work for their respective organisations, had clipboards ready to ‘mark’ me.

I went to retrieve my own trainers notes only to find they had been covered by loads of paperwork that the bigwigs had brought. Finding mine would have taken too long so I started to walk the room as I introduced an exercise. My voice was so slurred that I could barely understand what I was saying. At that moment, the clipboards got a lot of attention and several delegates walked out.

I was distraught.

Then the commissioning clients went into a huddle, looked over their shoulders at me and then left.

One whose face was really familiar came in for a hug but I turned away.

I rarely refuse a hug so this much have been serious.

Those sort of dreams are really disconcerting to me – and the fact that I remember so many details must mean there’s a message there for me.

Can anyone help me out?

Most of us dream, even if we don’t remember them and here’s some of the learning I have chosen to take from this one.

If dreams are the way our brain processes the happenings of the day,

•  Be prepared that one day, all of my key stakeholders might meet and talk to each other. Will they share a consistent, congruent, & compelling impression of what I do and why?
• When I am launching exciting new projects, consider whether it is better to have more capacity than I might need or make it standing room only? A recent training I attended suggested the latter, so that’s what I’ll probably go with.
• Always have an AV/tech team on hand (thank you my Intentional team) and prepare an alternative low tech delivery method so that I can deliver whatever I need to without the tech if needed.

I wonder what lessons you would have chosen?

One thing for sure though, I’m not letting this spook me. It could easily lead me into catastrophisation but it was only a dream. Let’s keep that in perspective.