Dream Rut: Navigating Your Path Forward

If you've felt stuck while chasing—or finding!—your dream, free yourself from your dream rut now and forever. "Reading Dream Rut, I felt a wave of inspiration come back to me, like being reunited with a childhood friend. This ode to creativity feels both intimate and universal." —Daniel Combs, author of Until the World Shatters If you were to draw a map leading to your dream, what might it look like? What paths have you abandoned, or perhaps overlooked? The paths to our dreams are rarely straightforward. From unexpected life challenges to mundane obligations, countless hurdles seem to get in the way . . . and we can't hop over them as easily as the sheep we used to count before sleeping. It's time to transform how we reinvigorate and rediscover our dreams—not through something that feels like ripping off a bandage or running a marathon, but through a process that feels more like tending to a relationship with consistent care, understanding, and appreciation. Drawing from her experience heading Columbia University's leadership development initiative, Dr. Yumiko Shimabukuro empowers readers to embrace a lifelong relationship with their dreams. With meditative prompts, poetic writing, and full-color illustrations by Jieyu Deng, this short, approachable read is for anyone who has experienced a growing distance from their dream and wants to free themselves from the loop of doubts, downs, and defeats. Dr. Yumi provides new insights into the different types of dream ruts and how to move beyond them, including: Estranged Dreams: losing satisfaction from a dream you once held close. Unfulfilled Dreams: feeling defeated and desperate, with doors of opportunity closing. Unknown Dreams: missing a mission in life, where your dream is to find your dream. Dream Rut is the perfect book for artists, gift book, burnout companion, or vocation book for a career change at any stage in life. With the creative courage of Big Magic and the uplifting brevity of Steal Like an Artist, this inspirational book reframes frustrations into a hopeful, forward-looking plan of action. This is your wake-up call to keep dreaming. "Stepping out of the pandemic, we could all use this comfort, this grounding, and this dedicated moment of time while reading to look inside ourselves and create a relationship with our very own dreams." —Jennifer Burden, founder of World Moms Network   Dr. Yumiko Shimabukuro, called "Dr. Yumi" by her students, is an award-winning educator and scholar. As the director of a social policy program and leadership development initiative at Columbia University, Dr. Yumi has a wealth of experience helping people visualize and realize their goals. Her first book, Dream Rut, takes her energetic and empathetic teaching beyond the classroom walls to lend support when the going gets tough.    "When I finished reading Dream Rut, I felt a wave of inspiration come back to me, like being reunited with a childhood friend. Dr. Yumi has written an ode to creativity that feels both intimate and universal. Anyone who has ever thought 'what if…' or has felt they were missing 'that special something' in their life will benefit from reading this warmly written and beautifully illustrated story."  —Daniel Combs, author of Until the World Shatters "Dream Rut is a meditative exploration of the inner self with stunning, calming, and soothing visuals that reflect the dreams the book is celebrating; while also asking the reader grounding and provocative questions to uncover and nurture our long-neglected aspirations."  —Xian Horn, Forbes contributor and founder of Give Beauty Wings "If Who Moved My Cheese? teaches us that change is inevitable, Dream Rut teaches us that giving up on one's dreams is anything but inevitable. How? Read on and rekindle the inspiration you thought you'd lost."  —Jim Holtje, author of The Power of Storytelling "Stepping out of the pandemic, we could all use this comfort, this grounding, and this dedicated moment of time while reading to look inside ourselves and create a relationship with our very own dreams. How beautiful is that?"  —Jennifer Burden, founder of World Moms Network "This book is amazingly accessible for dreamers of all kinds. It is a must-read for anyone who's ever felt stuck pursuing their passions in work or life." —Adam Royalty, founder of Columbia Entrepreneurship Design Studio "If you resonate with the idea of pursuing a big dream in your life, this book will help you make sense of your feelings and inspire you to take action towards your dreams."  —Grant Schroll, CEO & cofounder of Mission Collaborative