When I was young, my parents told me I could be anything I wanted to be when I grew up.
In third grade, the teacher told my parents I was the most manipulative child in the class. It was then I decided I wanted to be a lawyer.
In eighth grade, I used to hang out with my first hour teacher, Mrs. Heins, and her biology specimens. I loved the sea cucumber she kept preserved in the back of our classroom; so then I wanted to be a marine biologist.
In 10th grade, I joined the newspaper staff. Pretty much any dreams of a life aquatic or respectable income went out the door. Thus, I went on to college to pursue a career in journalism and advertising.
And now, here I am crafting blogs, composing PR-whatnots for M3 and toying with design in my “spare” time.
Laugh as we may, the one thing these pursuits all have in common is a dream; a self-fulfilling prophecy that I can be anything I want, I just have to dream it.
This begs the question, where do life’s dreams come from? And how do dreamers in the workforce continue pursuing their dreams when giving up, feeling down and flat-out settling seems so much easier?
The answer is simple. You just have to answer one question: what matters? What really matters to you? Is it spending time with children? Tinkering with car engines? Is it a green sea vegetable in a jar of formaldehyde?
Every one of us has unique motivators — that little thing that kick-starts your imagination. It’s the task you could fixate on for hours and never look at the clock. Think beyond a hobby; what is in your core?
Once you find that ultimate motivator, you’ve discovered the key to unlocking your passion. And passions are the gateway to your dreams.
So, what happens between finding that key and getting through the gateway: humans and nothing else. You are your first obstacle, and those around you are the second. That’s it.
Dreams are crazy, and they’re supposed to be. Wild ideas are the future. How many times have you let your imagination run wild only to arrive at the thought, “I can’t,” or “that’s impossible”? Forget those conclusions and begin to believe in the crazy.
Once we reach the threshold of our dreams and begin to believe in them, the challenge lies in the reception and articulation of our dreams to others. Most dreams rely on the cooperation of those around us; there’s little greatness we can ever accomplish completely alone.
If others begin to believe in your dreams, the challenges that may seem like mountains are reduced to pebbles. Time, money, resources, knowledge — a world of opportunity begins to open up when you have a tiny amount of support.
Gordon MacKenzie, author of Orbiting the Giant Hairball and life-long creative genius, once wrote:
“Many of us choose security over freedom to such an extreme that we confine ourselves and profoundly limit our experience of life.”
So, to experience this life and live your dreams, I suggest the following:
- Determine your motivators: what is your passion? (And none of this “I haven’t found my passion …” — bull. We’re born with them, it’s in you)
- Dream as wildly as possible, the crazier the better — rule out nothing
- Believe in your dreams
- Surround yourself with others who believe in dreaming
- Work ruthlessly to make them a reality
After all, crazy dreams aren’t just reserved for kids — dreams happen at every stage of life. And as we age they continue to be repressed to greater and greater extents. So defy the times and live your dreams. The fortune and fame will follow.
As for me, I’m still not sure what I’ll be when I grow up — I may never know. But wherever the road takes me, I do know one thing: I’ll never retire from my career as a dreamer. Life’s too short.
Save, Share, Subscribe, Spread the Love
