If there’s one thing I like doing, that would be dreaming. Almost every morning I can remember my dreams from the previous night. Now these dreams are usually just silly “stories” based off of events that I experienced in real life or have been thinking a lot about, but they are quite entertaining, especially when I share them with friends. But I’m not going to be focusing on those dreams right now. I want to discuss dreams made when we are wide awake (or even dozing in class or at work). Dreams that reach our inner core and fill our passions. Dreams that cause us to want to make a change in our life or a difference in someone else’s life.
Whether I’m dreaming about what I want to do this weekend, where I want to travel to next, or what I want to have for dinner, creating a dream allows me to conjure up goals and tasks I can do to reach those goals. Recently I’ve been dreaming about the countries I want to travel to, the food I want to try there, and the activities I want to do, such as cliff jumping into the ocean in Hawaii, surfing in Costa Rica, or yoga in Bali.
Dreams have varying levels of “intensity” I believe. That is, we have dreams that require immediate action or are easy to obtain. We have dreams in the middle that are slightly more challenging or harder to reach. And finally we have the “ultimate dream” as I like to call them.
The “ultimate dream” is the dream that keeps you up at night with your head spinning full of questions, thoughts, and excitement. How can I obtain this dream? Can I reach this dream now- please?? I’m so excited please I just want this dream to happen!! This dream sounds far-fetched and vastly impossible to a majority of people when you share with them. You can’t give up your job/your education right now to travel the world. Doing that will make you become in debt for many years. Why would you want to do that?
And these remarks from other people, especially from family and friends, can crush the dream by the time the person finishes talking. What’s worse than being so excited about the possibilities in front of you when the people closest to you don’t appreciate or value what you want to do? I have been blessed with a family who has and still is supporting me in following my dreams. Yes, they may laugh or question some of my dreams, but they ultimately support the passion I have to see something accomplished. That being said, I have still had people discount my dreams as nothing than a mere “spur-of-the-moment-idea-without-much-critical-thinking” dream.
These “ultimate dreams” really come in handy when the criticism or the self-doubt starts to creep in. An ultimate dream doesn’t fade away after a few hours (like the remembrance of a night dream may), a few days, or even a few years. These dreams are embedded in you. They cause a plan of action to emerge and they develop perseverance. We may feel overwhelmed with criticism for our dreams or we may even develop our own fears. Can I really accomplish this? Am I being unrealistic?
The point is to find ways to make your dream obtainable. Figure out how YOU can accomplish YOUR dreams. My first recommendation would be to create a “Dreams List.” That is, a list full of dreams you have. You could even make a “Dreams Jar” and write your dreams on a small piece of paper and put them into a mason jar. Whatever reminds you that you have dreams you can accomplish. And whenever you are feeling stressed out or depressed, pull out the dreams list. I’m sure you will become positive quickly after looking at the list.
Here are a few items on my dreams list:
- Backpack in Australia (ultimate dream- preferably for a few months!)
- Yoga in Bali
- Cliff jumping and hiking in Hawaii
- Doing something kind for someone else (this is really broad but I’ll know when I’m in the situation what I’m supposed to do!)
- Being able to do various yoga handstands
- Swimming with dolphins
What’s on your dream list? And if you don’t have a dream list in your journal, on your phone or in your head- make one now!
The Bohemian Mermaid 