I have been thinking a lot about dreams lately. It seems that having the dream and living out that dream are two totally separate things at times. It is tough to have a dream and know that it is great but seeing it go so slowly or not seeing other people believe in your dream either. We are all told to dream and dream big but no one ever tells you how hard it is to have a dream. Not seeing that dream happen when you want is even harder.
Here are a few things I have learned from the words of others or my own observations about dreaming big:
1. Dreaming is the easy part
Ever since childhood, we are told that we need to dream big and that if you wish really hard enough our dreams will be sure to come true. So because we are told to dream, we let our minds wonder to all the wonderful things we want to accomplish. This is fantastic, don't get me wrong. Dreaming leads to higher satisfaction with life and makes us think about what we really want to do with this life we are given. I believe that the reasons so many dreams don't make it to existence is because we have a hard time distinguishing between having the dream and living the dream and excepting that not all dreams are easy to have.
2. Dreams take a long time
Now unless we are one out of a million, our dreams are never gonna just be handed to us the moment we think them into existence. Wouldn't that be great though?.... (pause to have the very unrealistic fantasy... ok, over it) People don't tell us how long and how much sacrifice and hard work it takes to actually see a part of our dream come alive. When we see musical artists become over-night sensations we just assume that that was the first time they picked up their instrument. You never get to see how long it took to meet the right people and how many albums were made before someone would actually give them the time of day. And even then, it's such a slim chance that things are gonna go right. We have to really keep at it and live our dream out everyday. Yea, so maybe I can't talk to the masses about how great they are, but I sure am going to live my life encouraging so many around me everyday.
3. Dreams take sacrifice
Dreams take sacrifice, not just in time and hard work. Sometimes we have a thought about what we want for our dream and we find it hard to allow that dream to change. There are going to be people and circumstances that are going to make us rethink what we want to do and if we are even doing the right thing. We have to be open to change and adapt. I guarantee that being stubborn and unwilling to give a little will be the first thing to break the dream. I understand that it is like a small baby that you created but you need to let that baby breathe and make its own choices. That does not mean it's okay to let someone come in a take all of our ideas and shove them down our throats until it looks nothing like we wanted it to. This just means that if we really want to give this dream a fighting chance we have to be willing to change.
4. Never let anything or anyone keep you from dreaming
Failing is a big part of dreaming. Failure leads to experience and learning. Being successful is about learning from your mistakes. If your dream flops, SO WHAT?! Change how you did things and try again. Being unrelenting is one of the biggest things that will lead to living out those big dreams of yours. Just because someone does not agree with your dream does not make it stupid and impossible. God is the God of impossible. Everyone's experiences are going to be different and you have to realize that the failures of some are not going to be the failures of all. Now..... this does not mean that you should shun all of the people that don't understand. If it's someone that you love and trust, listen to what they have to say. Having trusted advisors are so beneficial. They will be able to see things that you don't and could offer suggestions that could drastically improve your ideas. There is a big difference in being rude and shooting down your dreams and giving good, Godly guidance.
5. Enjoy the journey
God told me one day when I was really wanting all the answers "the journey is beautiful..." I wanted all of the answers and every mapped out step of how he would have this dream become a reality. I truly believe that the best thing about living out a dream is getting there. Life is full of surprises and you have to just enjoy the ride and celebrate the small victories!
DREAM BIG!
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