What kinds of dreams did you have when you were a kid? Maybe it’s finally the right time to find out what they would look like in reality and why it’s important for each of us to follow our dreams!
Here are 9 reasons it’s important to follow your dreams
1. To Create Something Worth Sharing With Others
It’s not easy to fight your habits and make the most out of your efforts. Getting up in the morning, staying productive, not giving up when it’s hard, fulfilling the goals you’ve set before – all these things are rather difficult to cope with.
Still, even doing all that and pulling the best out of yourself isn’t that ultimate goal that makes us fulfilled.
Everything we do gets a new dimension and way bigger value when we can share it with others as well as do something good for them.
When following your dreams, you are motivated to create something unique and worth sharing – which is what will, in the end, be that essential piece that helps you live fulfilled life.
2. To Become Braver
“If you have the courage to begin, you have the courage to succeed” – an old saying that best describes the path to success. We may be looking at people we find successful, wondering what keeps them motivated and where their courage actually comes from.
We long for the place where they seem to be; happy, doing what they love, confident enough to continuously bring their dream to a higher level.
However, we keep forgetting the hardest step they had to do – to start. Fearlessness isn’t a trait you are born with; it’s something you develop over time.
So, to live the way you want and pursue your dreams, you need to have the courage to make the first step. Is it going to be a failure? Probably! Still, that doesn’t mean you’re not good enough!
Other people’s success is only an iceberg where you see the tip. Only they know how many sleepless nights they’ve spent worrying if that whole thing is going to work or not.
Either way, they were brave enough to try all over again – which is why courage is definitely THE element that makes the difference.
3. To Show Your Kids What’s Possible, and What’s Not
It seems like so many people have a mixed perception of what’s possible, and what’s not. For instance, the majority doesn’t believe you can actually achieve things you want to, but think you can change the others.
In reality, it’s the opposite; you can only affect your own behavior and the way you perceive the world. There’s no way we can change other people and turn them into something we’d like them to be.
Kids need to learn not everything they imagine is possible. Living in the real world and trying to build a relationship with other people means we always have to make compromises. That, basically, means we can’t have all we want.
However, it’s important to teach them they can set a goal, work hard, and choose the direction they want in life. Every choice we make is legit – as long as we take full responsibility for it.
4. To Be a Good Role Model
It’s not only your kids; there are plenty of people out there who may need encouragement to leave their dreams. By pursuing your own, you’re actually becoming a good role model for them without even knowing it.
Many people don’t have support from their friends or family, which is why they’re seeking someone out there who could confirm certain things about their dreams were really possible.
Don’t push it too hard though. Everyone has their own pace, and just because we’ve realized how awesome it is to follow our dreams, we can’t make others feel the same way.
Let them become curious about all that. Be prepared to slightly encourage them when they start asking questions rather than pushing them to do it.
Following your dreams is never a process that goes the way we imagine it, which is exactly why everyone needs to determine whether they’re ready or not on their own.
5. To Avoid Regrets
Imagine you’re 80-year old. You’re looking at your kids and grandkids living their lives, making mistakes, failing, getting up, moving forward.
Your life has a completely different pace now. You get up in the morning, have a nice cup of coffee, read newspapers, do things you love, and spend time with people you love. Isn’t that the perfect scenario we all long for in the future?
However, there’s this one thing occupying your mind whenever you’re alone – or one question, to be precise. Why haven’t you at least tried?
Maybe you’ve always wanted to write a poetry book, start a homemade jewelry business, organize an exhibition of your paintings that are now collecting dust somewhere in the basement. You know, all those things that don’t seem to pay bills at first?
Maybe you really wouldn’t make any money doing them, but there are things we all need to do for ourselves despite the financial part. Life is way too short, and we all know it, but somehow always avoid thinking about it.
Wouldn’t it be nice to look back and know you’ve used your time well, enjoyed with people you love, and actually created something you’ve always wanted to?
So, Why Is It Scary To Follow Your Dreams?
Dreams Are Different In Reality
Maybe you’ve spent hours and hours imagining how it would all look like. For instance, if you’ve always wanted to open your own bakery.
You had an image in your head where you’d like to rent a space, what kinds of baked goods you’d go for, how it would be decorated… You even got a special notebook where you’ve been writing down all of your ideas ever since you were a kid.
On the other hand, maybe you’ve spent too much time imagining everything would be perfect you’re not even ready to face reality.
It’s great to set a wider picture in your head, but the real world faces you with so many other challenges you couldn’t even predict.
For example, there can be too much paperwork, renting a space is way more expensive than you thought, people didn’t recognize the quality of your products at the very beginning.
Those are struggles you can never actually be prepared for. However, that’s life. It seems like we often forget there are always new struggles and challenges coming, which is not the reason to spend all of your days in your bed hiding from them.
Maybe You Think You’re Too Old
How do you feel when someone says the age doesn’t matter? It kinda doesn’t feel right, does it? Of course it matters! It’s easier to try out certain things when you’re young because it’s way easier to get up, go through sleepless nights, and change your thinking patterns.
When you’re older, coping with your mindset is more difficult, plus you have much more responsibilities and tasks in your everyday life than in your 20s.
Still, ‘difficult’ is not a synonym for ‘impossible’.
Learning and improving yourself is a long-term process that can’t be mastered at a young age. In the 20s, you can start certain things, but not until you gain enough real-life experience you can take them to a high-quality level.
It’s never too late to try, that’s true. Just accept each stage of your life brings different kinds of challenges you need to face.
What About Money?
“Quit your job and go after your dreams!” That’s how some people could try to motivate you. When we really need to make money to pay our bills, loans, and other everyday living costs, true, we’ll work way harder than usual.
However, it’s really stressful to start pursuing your dreams, expecting them to pay off right away. Will it work at all? That’s something no one can guarantee you!
Maybe, you are the type of person that likes risks, so you’d be okay with living on the edge. If not, keep your job current job, and try to develop a habit of working on your dream 1-2 hours after your working time.
You’ll Fail… A Lot
Get ready to go through numerous failures. Yet, it somehow seems we forget we fail a lot in other areas of our lives. Relationship, work, personal things, habits.
Failing with your potential dream job actually comes as a good thing, no matter how demotivating may be at first. If you fail, it means you finally decided to take the first step!
Even if you have a pretty good start, you can still expect failures to come along. That’s the way it goes – after the sun, there’s always rain, but after the rain, there comes the rainbow.
Don’t take your failures too personal because they don’t tell you’re not good enough. Even if they do at one point, that part can only help you improve your weaknesses and face upcoming challenges more prepared.
Some Final Words
The only way to have a life worth living is by following your dreams. They come in a different shape, so you can turn them into a hobby, part-time job, or your full-time passion.
Whichever direction you decide to take, there’s only one thing you need to know – it’s essential to start. Not tomorrow, not next week – today.
Now…Tell us a bit more about things you’ve been dreaming about!