Chase Your Dreams

I think that, of all the things we "waste" during our lives, dreams are the saddest. When we are young, we all have dreams; "I'm going to be an astronaut.", "I'm going to cure the common cold.", "I want to be an explorer.", etc.... They were very real to us and we were sincere but then we'd watch a movie and want to be a cowboy or a pirate. As we get older, we dream of being the underdog and rising against all odds, like Rocky or eradicating hunger throughout the world. We knew no limits.

As we get older, we may learn that we are claustrophobic so being an astronaut is out and the pirate's life is not as glamorous as we originally thought. We learn that dreaming is good but you have responsibilities; the mortgage company does not care that you are the best table tennis player in the county. We hold on to the dreams but they are reserved for quiet moments of reflection waiting for the weekly status meeting to start.

Harry Chapin once sang, "you're supposed to dream when you are young."^* Is this true? Do we run out of time to make the dream a reality? When is it "too late" and why don't we realize it beforehand? What held us back to begin with? So many questions but what are the answers?

There are certainly outside influences, such as physical limitations or some life-changing event that forces you in a different direction; a broken leg may not heal properly, dashing your dream of being an Olympic sprinter. Your family and friends may support your dream to a degree but urge you to “think long-term” and question how you will be able to make a living. This is a very strong influence and can plant the seed of doubt that we cannot prevent from growing.

I think the most common reason might come from insecurity. We just don’t know if we are good enough and that keeps us from trying. When you have done your best, and it isn’t good enough, that is a bitter pill to swallow. The fear isn’t necessarily of failure but of learning we weren’t as good as we thought and that is terrifying. We may not even be conscious of it. It’s like being at the edge of a creek you want to cross – you can try to jump the five feet to the other bank or walk a quarter mile to the footbridge. Do you take the leap or the safe route? Too often we decide to go the “safe route.”

Of course, not everyone turns their back on the dreams. A world without dreamers would not only be boring but we would probably still be drawing pictures on cave walls. Every generation has their dreamers who aren’t afraid – whether they dream of building a new country, explore the universe or, yes, cure the common cold. Without them there would be no telephone, no automobiles and no Beatles! Can you imagine a life without The Beatles? Aunt Mimi told John Lennon, “Playing the guitar is all very well, John, but you'll never make a living at it.” Thankfully he didn’t listen to her, in fact, years later he had those words put on a placque and hung it over her fireplace.

That’s what it boils down to – find your dream, put your head down and charge at it with all you’ve got. If it works out, great! If it doesn’t, learn from it and move on. It could be that your dream was unrealistic or maybe you weren’t quite prepared. You can re-group and try again or turn to something else. The important thing is that you tried. When you try, there are two possible outcomes – success and failure. When you don’t try, the only possible outcome is, essentially, failure. It’s been said that at the end of your life you don’t regret the things you did as much as you regret the things you didn’t do. Go out and take the chance. Give your dream a shot. It may not work out but that’s okay. Failure doesn’t define you as a person unless you let it.

So, Harry was right – you are supposed to dream when you are young – but don’t stop there. Seize the day. Chase your dream. Don’t let anyone get in your way or into your head. You don’t want to be sitting at a desk one day and wonder, “What if?”

^* "Dreams Go By" by Harry Chapin