"The greater danger is not that our hopes are too high and we fail to achieve them, it's that they are too low and we do."
….. Michelangelo
When we were younger, the whole world seemed like this vast candy store of hopes and dreams. As children some dreamed of being an astronaut, or a fire fighter, or an actor, or a writer. We weren't constricted by so-called "reality", and the opportunities seemed boundless.
As we went through high school, we began thinking in more concrete terms of what we truly wanted to be when we grew up. Some continued to pursue their passion and their dreams; others focused on what profession would provide the most monetary benefits; whilst others followed their parents desires, not wishing to disappoint.
Most follow the pre-ordained "yellow-brick road" of expectation. They get married, have 1.5 children, a house (with a mortgage) and get that job which will uphold the requisite lifestyle. Many end up encircling themselves with friends, who have traveled a similar road. The dreams and hopes of the child have often been lost by the time the middle-age line is crossed.
I believe that it is important to review and reflect, on a regular basis, on where you are in your life. I'm not talking about the five-year plan that many tout. I am talking about an honest reflection of whether you set the bar too low, as noted in the quote at the beginning of this blog, and are now saying I've achieved it, so I'm good.
If you truly are, that's OK. But I have seen more folk who "settle," figure that rejigging expectations and hopes as you get older is a fantastical exercise, with nary a good outcome.
Each decade requires reflection, both professionally and personally. What worked for you in your twenties, may not work for you in your thirties, forties and beyond. Or maybe it does. Or have you just chosen to conform in a way that the rest of your "peer group" has? Are you afraid of articulating some new dreams, new big hairy audacious hopes, because you believe that they will be received by your friends, family and colleagues with a bit of eye-rolling and a smirk, with the inevitable "you can't be serious" thrown into the discourse? And with the naysayers surrounding you, you shove that passionate desire to break-out and do something which would nurture your soul, back into its little box, put the lid on it and perhaps, on your deathbed, wish you had not listened to others and at least tried to achieve that dream?
I have rejigged my life a few times. Sometimes it has been professionally, and sometimes personally. And I'm sure I'm not done. I am however not immune to the constraints and responsibilities that face me, just like everyone else. I have to push myself to think of what my life would look like if I didn't have anything else than my dreams, hopes and desires to guide me. And it is a wonderful place to be.
So today, think about what your life would look like, both professionally and personally, if there was no pressure to conform, if you could do anything you wanted to do without consequence. Go back to when you were a child, and life was filled with endless possibilities. You are never to old to dream, to have hopes and to change. And then close your eyes and picture yourself there. Do you feel the rush of positivity? If you do, start today to figure out how you can get there. Because dreams are just realities waiting to happen.
"Life is short, break the rules, forgive quickly, kiss slowly, love truly, laugh uncontrollably and never regret anything that made you smile. Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do that by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream.Discover."
…Mark Twain
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