8.10.2009

You Are Not Alone ...

I just had a phone call with a friend I hadn't spoken to in forever. We met at college - back then I was a very interesting girl. I spoke a lot about "keeping it real" - those were my words! In my attempt to be so real, I met some pretty real people and this girl was one of them. She was tall and quite striking - like a model. Her look wasn't like the rest of us. She looked like a woman and I think I looked more like a girl (I kind of still have that thing going on.) She always had a thing for fashion and years later I was surprised to hear she worked in education as an assistant principal. Recently we caught up Facebook - she'd decided to pursue her dream of working in the fashion industry and had moved to New York (my intuition from back in the day was on point!). She had decided to give me a call because she was dealing with those feelings of anxiety and insecurity that creep up - she left the security of her job to pursue this dream and has not yet found the job of her dreams. I can totally relate to that - here she was calling me for advice when I'm struggling with the same thing! It is funny how I thought I was so alone and here was someone I admired so calling for my advice on how to get through the tough days!


This call made me recognize many things. The first is that when you have a deep seated desire, there comes a point where you simply must go after it. This girl was successful by any stretch, but that success could no longer satisfy her because it was not her true desire! I have another good friend who loves music and until she was able to incorporate her talent into her world, things seemed out of balance. I know story after story of people who just were not (or are not) right living a typical life void of their true desires. The second realization is that sometimes the desire is so strong, you must leave your current situation to pursue it. When you have big dreams, like colossal dreams, it takes a commitment to follow them. If my dreams weren't so big I'd still be teaching school - it was my first job out of college, it paid well and I had benefits, I liked the kids, it was cool BUT it wasn't my dream. This dream thing made it impossible for me to be comfortable not pursuing it. I feel as though I owe it to not only myself, but to the world to go after it. At this point it is like i have no choice but to follow my dreams.More...





The biggest realization is you will sometimes feel alone pursuing your dreams- hell, you may even BE alone! There are days when it seems as if no one understands me, my dreams or my struggles to achieve my dreams. I can isolate everyone and cut myself off from everything because I feel like I'm in this thing by myself. I know this is not the truth. I am lucky because most of the people I am closest to are dreamers as well. I relate to the most and love the most are people who are on a grind, unsatisfied with the status quo and who are pushing on toward the dreams they hold dear. They work hard and are "all in" for the dream - that thing that excites them like nothing else, keeps them up at night. Everyone has different dreams - some want to act, some want to write, some want to work in fashion, some want to advocate for the abused or downtrodden, some want to make the world "happily nappy," some want to preach, some want to make movies, some want to have a their own family, some want to care for the sick, some want to literally change the world. Whatever the dream, I hold a special place in my heart for the dreamer.


This is a big shoutout to the dreamer ... dreamers aren't always appreciated, especially when they hold a dream that's different than everyone else's. To all those dreamers with a special dream, I see you, I support you and I stand with you. When others scoff at you, brush it off and keep pursuing your thing! When you doubt yourself, shake it off and keep pushing. The only way to get over it is to go through it. Let's boldly face the unknown in search of our destiny.

Here are some quotes to help my fellow dreamers in pursuit of their heart's desire!

  • The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. – Eleanor Roosevelt
  • Hold fast to dreams, for when dreams go, life is a barren field, frozen with snow. – Langston Hughes
  • Dreams come true; without that possibility, nature would not incite us to have them. – John Updike
  • I am consumed with the fear of failing. Reaching deep down and finding confidence has made all my dreams come true. – Arsenio Hall
  • It takes someone with a vision of the possibilities to attain new levels of experience. Someone with the courage to live his dreams. – Les Brown
  • At first, dreams seem impossible, then improbable, and eventually inevitable. – Christopher Reeve
  • Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world. - Harriet Tubman
  • If you can imagine it you can create it. If you can dream it, you can become it. – William Arthur Ward
  • Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined. – Henry David Thoreau
  • You see things; and you say "Why?" But I dream things that never were; and I say "Why not?" – George Bernard Shaw

1 comment:

Karla said...

Nicely said. Here's too hoping we can all realize our dreams and beyond!

Blog Widget by LinkWithin