It is commonly thought that February is the month where our dreams and goals go to die. By the end of the month, most of the dreams and resolutions that we were so eager to start in January will be abandoned. Resolutions fall by the wayside as life interferes with our carefully laid plans. We look that the past month and our lack of progress and think there is no hope. I am here to tell you to hang on, to keep pressing forward. Those goals that seem so hard and impossible now will one day be possible. The dreams you have now are able to be grasped. How can I be so sure? Because I am living my dream right now.
A long time ago, back when I was a small child, I dreamed of growing up to be a woman. One who was confident and loving and unafraid of anything (Except spiders. Spiders are gross). I was told over and over again that this dream was not possible. It didn’t die though. It stayed in the back of my mind, always there. Nothing could make it leave. Every day that I was told my childhood dream wasn’t possible, the more impossible it seemed. I thought that maybe dreams were just figments of my imagination. They could never come true.
As an older, taller, high schooler that dream shifted, I imagined a time when I wouldn’t have to hide anymore. A time when I would be free if the pain, the discomfort, I had with a changing body. A dream of a new life where I was happy, a future that was bright and fulfilling. It was the start of a dream that would remain with me for decades. I thought to myself back then that maybe some dreams were never meant to see the light of day.
Once I thought that I had to give up on my dream. I tried to let it go. To let those dreams wither to dust. At times I actively tried to suppress my dream, to my ruin. Living without a dream is no way to live. Today I am finally getting the chance to live the dream of my past. Something that I never thought would be possible is now my everyday reality. Real life has shown me that I dreamed too small. To dim. It is clear now that by holding back my dreams, I was holding back myself. Daring to follow through with this dream was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. It is also the best thing I have ever done. Dreams can come true. If we dare to follow them.
Whether you are searching for a new job, a healthier future, a new place to live, keep at it. The results may not be immediate but that doesn’t mean that it’s impossible. February does not last forever, spring is right around the corner. Our dreams, if we choose to pursue them, can come true. Take from me, that the journey, as hard as it may be, is worth it.