To the Sleepers

I admire dreamers of every stripe, out there struggling to turn their passions into something tangible. It comes across when I talk to others as well, there’s something romantic and maybe even heroic about dreamers who keep at it. I love dreams. So I was thrown off base when one of my dearest friends turned to me one day and stated that he did not have a dream. I was stunned. Ever since that day, whenever I talk about dreamers I always try to follow up with a post for those who think that they too have no dreams to chase. What do you say to someone who thinks that they have no dream to follow.

I believe that everyone has a dream. We are all born with a bag full of them. Ask any child what their dreams are, and you will not have to wait long for an answer. I can remember wanting to be an archeologist, an astronomer, firewoman, astronaut, doctor. It changed on what day of the week it was. I would spend hours perched up in my friends’ tree and dream of what life would be as an adult. I wondered what life was out there beyond our solar system if ghosts were real, and if superheroes could really exist somewhere. Life only grows more complicated as we get older. Along the way, we discard the dreams we had as children, such as when I learned the requirements for actually becoming an astronaut (it was a sad day!). As our education system locks us into our places, we forget what we once dreamed of becoming. Eventually, we lose the chase, either because of obstacles that are insurmountable or because we have grown to busy to focus on another task as trivial as what we dream to become. We forget how to listen to our hearts. As we learn we lose our curiosity about the world around us. We stop, we stagnate, the dreams simply not even a factor in everyday life. We forget what we were made to be, dreamers who are not asleep.

You do have a dream, you just need to learn how to listen to it again.

If you hadn’t noticed from my previous posts, I have a pretty liberal interpretation of just what a dream is. A dream can be a long cherished or sought after goal, a passion you have, a skill you are developing, or it can just be that you want to lose ten pounds by Christmas. So when I say every one of us has a dream, I really mean it. No one lacks desire, passion, or goals. However, many of us are unable to utilize those passions. For many, our dreams are a hazy, unfocused yearning for something. Something better. Something grand. A shadow of the dreams we once held onto as children.

Let’s try an experiment. I believe that you can dream again. You just need to follow your curiosity. You can start this process right this moment with yourself; ask what do you love to do? Do you follow sports like you had bought and paid for the team? Do you pay attention to market fluctuations like a mouse looking at a piece of cheese? Do you daydream? Do you like to run? Cook? Clean? Eat? Find out what your passions are, then figure out if there is anything you can do with those passions. This is the tricky part. We are geared towards doing things that have a tangible benefit for us. Can I monetize this? Can I copyright it? Throw all of that out the window. Just pick any of the things you love to do and just do something with it simply because it makes you happy. If you like video games, maybe you can start a live stream, or run a clan on your specific game of choice. Are you always attending church potlucks but tired of eating the same green bean casserole everyone brings? Maybe you can try your hand at a new recipe? Maybe you like to draw, then make a comic. You like to write? Start a blog. The point is this, follow your passions. Maybe the new recipe doesn’t work out, or no one reads your blog, you don’t need to keep at it if it doesn’t make you happy, but you should try one of your other hobbies or passions in its stead.

We all love something. So my advice to those who don’t think they have a dream is simple. You do have a dream, you just need to learn how to listen to it again. Set complacency aside and do what you love. Find your inner child, be curious! Ask questions, learn new things! Chase after your passions and search for your voice, your desire, your dream, out there in this great, wide, amazing world.