Realizing Our Dreams: What Lies Between "Here" and "There?"

The only walls we've got, are the ones we build ourselves...

What do you dream about doing? Being? Having? Accomplishing? Experiencing?

We all have dreams of one kind or another; some small, some large... some perhaps bordering on not being realistic. And yet? We dream on; we dare to entertain the thought of "what if" we actually pursued what truly makes out heart and spirit happy, rather than just the "accepted" option.

Of course, for some the whole idea of dreaming is the stuff of childhood; of children. As we age, we're told by family, peers, friends and even society to "be practical," and to focus on what is realistically possible... and tangibly functional.

Dreams are for dreamers...

If you think about it, it's odd that the greater world around us is skeptical of our dreams because most of the "quantum leaps" forward in human history have been the result of people dreaming of changing the established way and then taking steps to making those dreams come true!

But even if the desires to do something is strong within us, we often find a myriad ways to talk ourselves out of doing what we truly want. We allow the rain to fall on our personal parades, and the spark is extinguished...

In truth, we are often more guilty of getting in our own way of our dreams than others are... naysayers notwithstanding.

Most people are host to a wealth of insecurities, many of them imprinted on us during our formative years.

For example, I know that I came from a family heavily dominated by very practical and logical thinkers. All things creative were certainly encouraged as hobbies, but the whole notion that someone would actually want to pursue a life as an artist or a writer was regarded as "childish nonsense."

I always felt it was somewhat ironic because most of my extended family were very supportive of the arts and other creative expression. It just wasn't something you should think to do for a living.

So, when I asserted that I wanted to grow up to "tell stories" (aka "be a writer") in response to the classic so what do YOU want to do when you grow up? question, I was patted on the head and encouraged to learn about "something practical" like banking, bookkeeping or medicine.

For many years, what kept me from pursuing writing — beyond just writing in my journals — was a "wall" I had built for myself that whereas writing might be my heart's desire, "you can't make a living at that."

But is that really true?

Of course, the more appropriate thing to examine might be what "a living" looks like. Back in my 30's, I started "unpacking" that concept, and recognized that most of that wall was related to coming from an upper-middle class family whose expectations of upscale neighborhoods and luxury cars didn't really match up with my own sense of what mattered in life.

Sometimes, life invites us to look at whether what we really want and what we're told we're "supposed to want" are in alignment.

In retrospect, I don't think my mom was disappointed that I wanted to be a writer and an artist, so much as she was disappointed that I didn't want to do that from the terrace of a swank golf and country club!

So, when we examine what lies between "here" and our dreams' realization... we're going to be looking at the stories we tell ourselves... because we all have stories that relate to "why not."

Sometimes the stories exist at a cultural level. Consider the stereotype of "The Starving Artist." It's so pervasive that we come to equate the idea of someone wanting to be an artist with poverty. Which is sad and depressing, if you're treating your art with the same diligence and dedication as a lawyer treats practicing law, or a CPA practicing accountancy. What is doubly sad is that it creates another "wall" we have to overcome...

Regardless of what our "stories" and "walls" might be, it's up to us to take a long hard look at them to determine whether they really matter, in the ways we fear they might.

If something is stopping you from reaching for your dreams, what is it... and why?

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great remainder of your week!

How about you? Do you have any dreams you've chosen to NOT pursue? Was there a "story" you told yourself, to not follow them? Conversely, have you chose to FOLLOW dreams? Did you have to overcome arguments to the contrary? Leave a comment if you feel so inclined — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!*

(All text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is ORIGINAL CONTENT, created expressly for this platform — Not posted elsewhere!)

Created at 2024.05.22 23:47 PDT
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