“Dare to dream! If you did not have the capability to make your wildest wishes come true, your mind would not have the capacity to conjure such ideas in the first place. There is no limitation on what you can potentially achieve, except for the limitation you choose to impose on your own imagination. What you believe to be possible will always come to pass – to the extent that you deem it possible. It really is as simple as that.” – Anthon St. Maarten

 

By Dawn Onley

Sometimes, the sheer power and awesomeness of our dreams can cause us to hesitate.

We can get insanely excited about our dreams that it seems counterintuitive to hesitate and not run at full force toward the realization of our heart’s desire, but this is what we often do. For months. Years. Even decades.

It’s not that we don’t believe that we deserve the beauty and freedom of our dreams, it’s just easy for us to tuck our longings away in a drawer for safekeeping, waiting for a more ideal time, like when the mortgage is paid off and the kids are out of school. This is largely the function of our practical minds – particularly for middle aged people like myself. It becomes second-nature for us to put duty and responsibility and comfort and a false sense of security above our dreams and happiness. This is even understandable, albeit somewhat sad, when one realizes that all we really have is this moment.

This is the real world, we tell ourselves. We can do what brings us joy on the weekends, or after our work is done, or once we retire, or once the kids are grown, or some other future time that isn’t promised.

This works for a while until it doesn’t. The thing about dreams is they never really go away. We are reminded about our dreams a million different ways. Eventually, we must do the thing(s) that ignites our passion and brings us joy or someday resign ourselves to the “what ifs.”

We must write the book. We must launch the business. We must learn to ballroom dance. We must travel to distant lands to learn ancient secrets. We must live abroad. We must teach. We must learn a second language. We must jump.

We must do the thing that scares us the most. We. Must. There will come a day and a time when our dreams can no longer lie dormant on a shelf. We will be forced to make room for them.

Consider that day a blessing, even if it comes when you aren’t completely ready. Sometimes we willfully walk into our destiny and sometimes we are nudged, feeling uncertain. In life, nothing is certain. Everything changes eventually. Be vulnerable. Be optimistic. Be joyful. Be great!

Inhale. Exhale.

“Uncertainty is the very condition to impel man to unfold his powers,” said German philosopher, Erich Fromm.

Have faith.

Spring gives way to summer and summer gives way to fall. The seeds we planted in the spring are now mature and ready to harvest. An oak tree started as an acorn. The hard work we have sown, we will surely reap.

Fear of success is every bit as real as fear of failure. For the sake of our dreams, however, we must work our way through. We must take the risk. Love is the greatest risk of all, and just look at the reward! Anything in life worth anything requires that we take a chance. Think about it.

Dare to dream. And then act.

It’s the only way to truly live.