06 December 2022

Do you have a dream that you’ve managed to quiet over the years? Maybe you’ve told yourself that you’ll write that book when the kids are grown. Maybe you’ve decided that you’ll have time to travel when you retire. Maybe you’ve said that one day you’ll go back to school and pursue that career dream, just as soon as you have enough money.

But stop, think and ask yourself what you’re really afraid of. What makes you so frightened of going after the dream? Are you afraid of what people will say? Do you worry that your spouse won’t be supportive? Are you concerned about being shunned by others in your community?

Does Your Dream Scare You Like Maddie’s Scared Her?

Maddie had a dream in her heart. It’s the one that’s so precious, so fragile, and so important to her that she wouldn’t share it with others. She held it close, in the hopes that by protecting it, she would one day get the chance to live it. 

Maddie dreamed of being a writer since she was a kid. She wanted to write books and see them sold at bookstores around the world. She never shared the dream with anyone and by the time she graduated high school, she decided she needed a practical career.

So, she went to college for years and got a degree. Then she began a career as a dentist. She enjoyed getting to help her patients, but she still went home every night, feeling unfulfilled. She daydreamed in the quiet moments of the books she’d write. But had Maddie really conquered the fears that held her stuck and unfulfilled?

How Will the Big Dream Change Your Life?

Sometimes, we fear fulfilling our dreams because it means change. Even good changes – like finally working in a career that makes you happy or making room in your life to travel as often as you want – can feel scary. 

Before you can go after that dream, you need to ponder how your life will change. You need to imagine the day you’ll leave your job. You should visualise the moment you step on the stage and receive the diploma you’ve always wanted. You need to close your eyes and create the life of your dreams in your mind. 

Are You Ready to Pursue It? 

There is a chasm between the life of your dreams and your life now. The space in between the two will be filled with hard work, bitter tears, crippling setbacks, and intense pain. But if you’re willing to persevere, you’ll find the life you want is on the other side.  

Maddie followed after her dream of becoming an author. She started writing books. She took writing classes. She networked with other authors. She began submitting her work to publishing houses and got feedback that helped her improve her work even more. She hasn’t sold a book yet, but she’s close. 

It Takes Courage

It takes courage to pursue your dreams and it’s tough. But it’s not nearly as hard as sitting on the sidelines of your own life, hoping that one day you get a chance to live out your deepest longings. For every man or woman that pursues that dream they have and reaches it, there are four more that never took the chance to go for it and pursue the dream despite what others said. So do you have a big enough dream that you will go for it no matter what you will have to face in order to reach it? All I can say is that it hurts a lot more if you don’t try anything at all and leave your dreams on the sideline than if you throw your chances to the wind and just go for it despite the bumps and hurdles you will face along the way. It is all well worth the chase when you have a big enough dream and go for it and the journey is even more fulfilling as you reach your milestones along the way.