The Importance of Dreams

They don’t always come out and say when you’re growing up, but dreams
are important. I’m not talking about those images you see in vivid
detail during REM sleep. I’m talking about those fantastical things
you dream up while you’re awake that preoccupy your mind and distract
you from the monotony of the day. Don’t get me wrong, my family always
took my “dreams” in stride and gave me the encouraging words of, “you
can do anything you want”, but I was never really led in a direction
to make any of them a reality. There are probably several reasons for
that; the two main ones being “I changed my mind a lot” and “it’s hard
to give directions on a place you have no idea how to get there”.
As an adult you learn many things, chief of which is how to get stuff
done. If you don’t believe me then look at how many times you, or
someone you know, have been pressed by your boss to accomplish a task
that seemed overwhelming. The capacity for us to get things
accomplished is usually only rivaled by our tenacity to see it
through. That overwhelming task becomes something you labor over until
it is defeated and laying in a heap beneath your feet (figuratively, I
doubt those TPS reports were slain by your mighty stapler…). But just
the same, you conquered the task and your boss gives you that glint in
his eye that says if he gave a crap, it would all belong to you.
(Sorry, but I’m a pessimist sometimes)
Now, what does this have to do with dreams? The Mr. Smarty Pants in me
wants to make a joke and say, “I don’t know, that’s for you to figure
out,” but that would probably not go over to well for those of you
genuinely interested in accomplishing your dreams.  The key thing you
need to do is to clearly identify what you want in life. The younger
you are the better, but there are many people who discover and achieve
their dreams later in life. It is with a clear definition of what you
want your life to be that enables you to formulate a plan to get
there.
The next thing you need to do is visualize it daily. Some people call
this daydreaming, but it is an effective tool for accomplishing a
goal. You know how athletes will say, “Visualize the ball, you are the
ball”?  It’s the same concept except the ball is your life. What are
you doing that makes you happy in this visualization? Can you really
see it, taste it, smell it, and feel it? If not, try harder.
Up until this point you have been living in a fantasy world. Awesome,
you know what you want and can imagine your life with it, but that is
about as far as most people’s dreams go. The biggest cause of failure
is one’s inability to carry through. You need to develop a game plan
to get you to where you want to be. The marvelous thing about a game
plan is that it can change with your needs as long as the end goal is
still the same. For some, this is the straw that breaks the camel’s
back. Look at the fad diets in the world. They capitalize on a
person’s lack of will power in order for them to make money. Any diet
will work, but they promise the easy button to make it happen and then
you ultimately end up back where you started. Your dreams are worth
more than that, though. Your happiness and your life being rich in
fulfillment are worth more than a half-cocked idea and a failure to
carry through.
Your dreams are important because they tell you who you are, not who
you wish you could be. Did you know Michael Jordan was cut from his
high school basketball team? It was through his dream to play the game
and his dedication to getting better that he became the athlete we
know today (yes, I just dated myself, but hey, he was the best when I
was a kid). The last thing I want to leave you with is this; a setback
is not a failure unless you allow it to be. We all take hits along the
way, that’s called life. “It’s not about how hard you can hit, but how
many times you can get hit and keep getting up”. Bonus points if you
recognize that quote. It is true, though. Don’t let a setback derail
you from your dreams. You need to refocus and fight for it another
day. “You can do it!” (Double bonus points for knowing that quote.)

Drew Avera

You can read the first book in The Dead Planet Series for free by
clicking here: http://www.amazon.com/Exodus-Dead-Planet-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00C1KP6SS/
You can learn more about Drew and his writing at http://www.drewavera.wordpress.com