What does it imply to dream? PT1
Everyone of us has the ability to dream! To dream, other than the literal sense of “dreaming” during sleep, is to have a vision. There are no limits or boundaries to our dreams, only those we set on ourselves!
Let us discuss what it means to dream and how to achieve our dreams. In this three-part blog we shall start with what are the adversaries to our dreams, then move on to what we do to achieve our dreams, and, finally, we will talk to people who live their dreams, and share their unique journeys.
So lets start – Dreaming!
What attacks our dreams?
The two biggest adversaries to our dreams are Fear and Self doubt!
Fear of failure? -“You block your dream when you allow your fear to grow bigger than your faith.”
Failure – So what’s the whole hubbub? Everytime you turn on a light bulb, remember failure is what brings you that light in the room (“I have not failed 700 times. I have not failed once. I have succeeded in proving that those 700 ways will not work. When I have eliminated the ways that will not work, I will find the way that will work.”- Thomas Edison)
Fear comes in many forms:
Fear of the unknown – think of this, how do we drive at night when we can only see a few yards in front of us? We are constantly facing the unknown, but we don’t let that stop us. Why is life any different?
Fear instilled by others (fear of ridicule) -Society is very fickle and when people see someone following their own dreams, it makes them wonder, “Why can’t I do that?” When they answer that question for themselves, they realize it is fear which holds them back. It is easier to throw dirt on someone else’s dreams than to overcome their own fear. The Debbie downers will to bring you down. Always remember this Latin aphorism“Illegitimi non carborundum”-” Don’t let the bastards get you down”. This was a saying that really resonated in me when a very dear friend of mine brought it to me in my teenage years. I have adapted it through times of fear and when people question my dreams.
So How do you get over Fear?
The one and only way to get over fear is to face it head on. What is the worst that could happen? Waiting and contemplating the worst will just raise the fear inside you. So face it and move on. Keep moving! Getting paralyzed by fear only makes it bigger and starts the vicious cycle of worry and anxiety. Remember, start by staying happy. That is a big armament against fear.
Self doubt – The biggest opponent to us is ourselves! - The worst thing about that kind of prejudice… is that while you feel hurt and angry and all the rest of it, it feeds you self-doubt. You start thinking, perhaps I am not good enough.- Nina Simone
Throughout history there have always been the same sayings: follow your dreams, follow your passion, never give up. Often we feel like it won’t happen. When we worry about our own dreams is when self-doubt seeps in, and, after that come anxiety and panic. Self-doubt is a very invasive rival. It will make us question each and every step, and over think everything. Self-doubt is self-defeating (duh!). When we realize this and attack self=doubt as it happens, over time, it gets better and gets easier! It is a constant battle of the mind to keep your cool.
How do you get over it?
My dear friend Amelie always says: you do the best you can at the time! Staying busy is one sure way of keeping this battle. Keep on doing. Achieve small goals and, by the end of the day, you will realize that you can do it. Next time the voice in your head says – “Am I good enough?” you will have a positive response.
SO WHAT If you stumble? Consider this, you cannot stumble if you don’t move. Again, as with fear, getting paralyzed by your self-doubt is the easy way to go. Moving through it and going forward is what will make you stronger, and it will get easier to keep moving. Once you overcome inertia, you’re halfway to your goal.
Lastly. more often than not, you will realize that what you doubted actually doesn’t even matter.
Okay, then, how do we realize our dreams?
Once we have armed ourselves with a good mind and keep check of all our fears, then we just have to follow our dreams. Work it into your schedule. Always keep sight of what you want in life and what your dreams are. Just keep moving, keep going, keep pursuing. Work without desire for the fruit, but enjoy the journey. This selfless work will help you attain and realize your dreams. Read more in Part 2.
Without dreams we have no purpose, without purpose in life we cease to live and simply exist.
So, bottom line: keep moving, keep pursuing. Live, learn and laugh. You will look back and laugh at it one day anyway!
Some notable quotes:
“You see things; and you say, ‘Why?’ But I dream things that never were; and I say, ‘Why not?’” - George Bernard Shaw
“So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.”
“Dreams are like the paints of a great artist. Your dreams are your paints; the world is your canvas. Believing is the brush that converts your dreams into a masterpiece of reality.”
“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” - C.S. Lewis
