When you lie awake at night what do you dream about?
No one is too old or too young
to reach for their goals
don't let doubt coat your tongue
as you chase what's in your souls
doubt coats their tongues
but trolls will be trolls
just sit back and relax
as you watch it unfold
your dreams may be big
but never too bold
whether it is stardom you chase, or a career or love,
nothing is too out of reach or too far above
you to achieve it.
However the first step starts within you
allowing yourself to believe
that anything is possible
if I did it, you can too.
-C.M Dillard
There is no right or wrong way to dream. I believe the only downside to dreaming is when you don’t allow yourself to dream big enough. When you hold yourself back by thinking the possible is impossible. My entire life I have dreamed of being an author, a writer, or a poet. To be able to write words in any capacity that other people cared about reading. Not only am I here, writing this for you, but this year marks a tremendous accomplishment for me; publishing my own first book and poetry collection. This was something I had dreamed of doing for so long, and never thought possible. Until, I believed in myself and my abilities. And as I said before, If I can do it, you can too. My biggest advice to anyone doubting their ability to achieve their wildest dreams is three simple things: Go at your own pace, never compare yourself to others, and remember to never give up on yourself.
Setting Your Pace
I have some good news for you, there is no timeline for success. You do not have to achieve everything before you’re 30, 40, or even 50. Do not hold yourself to an unrealistic standard, and feel discouraged if things take longer than you’d like. It is okay to make slow and steady progress; if you originally planned on something taking a year, and it takes double, that is okay too. The important part is you will still get there in the end.
Not Comparing Yourself To Others
I know it's easy to see other people achieving their dreams, and get in your head that it will never be you. But you are your own person; with your own thoughts and design. Not only is your pace not set by their pace, but you are on your own path entirely. When we end up in a negative spiral comparing and marking our success at the rate of others, we are only doing ourselves a disservice. Sometimes we see other people on social media and believe they were overnight successes, but more often than not, that is not the case. We only see a small part of that person's story and we miss out on seeing all the behind the scenes work that went into that person’s success.
Never Give Up
The most important piece of advice when chasing your dreams, is please know your dreams are worth it, and they are within your reach. No dream is too big…or too small for that matter. If it is something you want, strive for it, reach for it! Let yourself achieve it. It can be so easy to give up on our dreams and shelf great ideas, tucked away, never to see the light of day. But if everyone did that, some of your favorite books, shows, or songs would never exist. Our world needs dreamers. It needs creatives. It needs people thinking outside the box. It needs people like you. So tell me, what are your dreams? And how will you make them a reality?
