Dreams are a weird thing, sometimes they can be useful as a warning for something your subconscious is trying to tell you, but they can also feel like you had one too many energy drinks and you start seeing thing that aren’t there.
We all have dreams, but very few people actually achieve them, or at least try and pursue them. So many people are wasting their potential, giving up on their dreams and things they’re curious about for a lowballed salary, giving up their lifeforce so they can come home eat Chipotle and watch Netflix till they have to wake up and do it all over again.
But the world still goes round and most people can live a decent life off the company store. Throughout their lives, they’ll have a family and die with a little money left to their children, but in reality, most won't.
Dumbledore said to Harry: “It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live”.
Even the achievement of your dreams isn't all it's cracked up to be. I dreamt most of my life of getting married, owning a house, and having kids. I’ve been married for almost 15 years now, home owner for 13 years and I have 3 Kids. I achieved a majority of my dreams, but it was hard work, it still is. It’s defintely not what I expected, but totally worth it. However achieving your dreams won’t change your personality or how you react to situations. You’re still living your same life, just with added responsibilities of keeping your dreams alive.
I now have more dreams. Dreams of being a successful author and running a successful business, things I'm not close to yet, but I’ll figure out soon enough i’m sure. When I achieve those dreams too, I will feel mostly the same way I do now, grateful for my achievements but always still looking for what’s next.
Dreams are important, but goals are essential. Without goals, it's like trying to find a random town without a map on compass. Sure, you could get there eventually, but it would take a long of time to find it when you could’ve just used the available proper tools to find the town like a normal person.
I use the analogy of going on vacation to explain how people choose to spend their lives. There’s two types of people; one who decides where they want to go and buys a ticket for the bus to get them there. They are half asleep on the bus, enjoying their lives but not doing much, coasting along till they get to their vacation spot (Retirement). This can be a Doctor or a Lawyer or an Accountant, any profession really.
The other way is to drive your own car to where you want to go. Sometimes on the road trip you’ll divert to a destination you want to check out or are interested in. You can do what you want, your driving your own car, heck you don’t even have to arrive at your final destination if you don’t want too. You could end up somewhere entirely different and love it. It’s the Journey, not the destination that will give you the most growth and satisfaction. The Destination usually tends to be a bit of a let down compared to the experiences that got you there.
Which Career Path have you taken so far?
Which Path do you want to take going forward?
It’s an Interesting analogy because my timeline and almost everyone I meet takes a mindless bus to their destination, a nice predictable career path. It must be terribly boring, I can’t go back to it. I drive my own car to where I want to be.
Are you in the driver seat?
Life is a Highway. So get in the Car and drive to find your dreams.