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When you cease to dream, you cease to live
At the risk of sounding like a pretentious motivational speaker encouraging graduating students to grasp at nothings masked in ambiguous words, the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams (Not my words obviously). We live in a society that encourages us to dream recklessly, to reach beyond the glass ceiling in order to discover a world of possibilities made available to us.
There is a lot of talk of conquering the world, dominating various sectors of society, graduating school with the best grades, starting up a business that would one day generate enough wealth to build an empire, becoming a force to reckon with in the community. But what happens when these dreams of world domination remain dreams?
Today there are so many stale dreams in the minds of many people, dreams that sometimes turn into nightmares simply because they have an expiration date. Sometimes we are haunted by dreams that we are just beginning to dream. Some people say being afraid to fail is the number one cause for failure in this day and age, the gripping fear that the extension of yourself you wish to share with the public will not be received in a way that you would want it to, the nauseating fear of being the worst at what you do, the fear of competition, or even the fear that you simply can’t do what you set out to do.
It’s however one thing to dream and be confident in said dream, and it’s another to get down in the trenches and for lack of a better term Hustle Hard. We as young people are bubbling with ambition and creativity that we constantly speak of, however while there is a lot of dreaming there isn’t actually a lot working being done. We make plans on how to make plans to conquer the world but it’s like we become scared of actually doing the thing we say we want to do, because sometimes it is easier to dream.
I would say dreaming is for the weak but what is hard work without a dream, what is passion without and ambition? While I encourage us to dream as much as possible, because an over-active imagination is a jewel in a world where we are taught to think alike, garnish your dreams with a side of hard work and dedication. It is great to make plans, to say what you want to do in the future out loud, just because there is power in the spoken word but don’t get scared of a little hard work. At the risk of sounding like a self-involved hero in a tacky action movie, with great dreams come great responsibility. Great dreams are birthed from the womb of hard workers.
So as we slide into the season of pumpkin spice lattes and cozy sweaters, let us embody the idea of diligence and dedication, in school work (yes even in those papers you know you want to leave till the last minute), in planning a business. Let whatever you do be marked by a certain excellence and not only will this open up doors for you, you being to feel more accomplished as a creative. Make plans to stay up late working on making your dream, no matter how surreal it seems, a reality.
And fulfilling my goal of being the pretentious motivational speaker, I leave you all with this quote:
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All of our dreams come true, if we have the courage to pursue them
