Has everyone else out there had dreams they wanted to make happen in their lives? I'm assuming we have all had plenty of different dreams. Some may have been unrealistic, so as we matured, we altered or changed them altogether. From fields where only a few can really excel to a wide range of more achievable aspirations, there are levels or areas we can use our loves and our abilities. (A big YAY to those who made their primary dream happen. The journey of life is hard, and many dreams go to the wayside because life steps in.)
I really wanted to be an archeologist or architect growing up. Then when the arts claimed my attention, an artist or maybe a singer. Later yet, after life’s twists and turns, I thought maybe a writer, which had always been in my make-up anyway. It had always been an under-valued dream. Yet it was the dream that was in me before I knew it – and that I could never extinguish. (It seems dreams – or hope – are part of our make-up no matter what age. We need something to live for, to be of use.)
I started writing when I was very young. I still remember my first story, which I wrote in first or second grade. I only got a little way into the story, but it started the desire within me to create with words. From high school poetry, to full novels I began in my early teens and finished in my young 20’s, and on, and on. I am happiest when I am creating, but mostly when I am creating with words. (Lol, my good friends will tell you they are not surprised as I can also use words to talk a lot! Although, when I talk, I struggle more with what I mean to say. Interesting, that.)
There have been times when I wanted to give up the dream. After all, if I am happy writing, does getting published make that much of a difference? But it is part of the process, so I just can’t/couldn’t give it up – the writing or the getting published (even though both are a lot of work!). It is as if it is such a part of me or of who I was meant to be, that I literally could NOT stop hoping for it and working for it – no matter how busy or tired I was over the years.
Some dreams are a part of us and giving up on them is giving up on ourselves. Don’t give up on yourself. Maybe alter your dream to a level you can accomplish and bask in whatever stage you can achieve. Whether it is helping in a community theater instead of being a famous actor or volunteering with science club instead of being the next famous inventor, there are ways to use or donate your abilities. Plus, there is great achievement and fulfillment in helping the others, especially the young, to understand and mold their dreams. Or just do it for yourself. It’s bound to spill over onto someone else, whether the gift/dream you have does or your happier attitude.
Perhaps I was always supposed to be a writer and life just took me different directions until I figured it out. Speak to your soul. What do you see within you? What do you love doing most? Seek it out. Do it. Whenever, wherever, however you can.
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