What do you expect from your dreams?
posted in Considering goals |The one thing about dreams is that they’re dreams, not reality. They’re these imaginary situations that we hold onto for various reasons. They often make us feel good when we’re feeling like the life we’re in is uncomfortable or miserable or just not what we want. Our dreams are our light; they’re our hope. Our dreams are meant to give us something to cling to and strive for.
That’s a lot for an imaginary situation to have to live up to. When I was getting to the end of my school year, when I would be leaving my full-time job and switching over to living my dream, people always asked me if I was excited. I told them that I was excited (and scared), but that the biggest thing I felt was a bit sad. No matter what happened with my dream, no matter whether I loved it or hated it, it would no longer be a dream: it would be reality.
No reality holds the same meaning as a dream. Dreams are better than reality, they don’t involve sicknesses or bug bites or long afternoons where you don’t want to work, but really should. They are imaginary bliss. No matter how perfect your dream turns out to be, once it’s a reality, it’s not a dream any more.
What do you expect from your dreams? Are your dreams things that you really want to achieve or are they there to be thought of in times of misery? Sometimes, when I’m really stressed, I think of getting a couple million dollars and never having to work or worry about retirement funds again. It’s a fantasy that can make me feel comfortable for a short time. I don’t expect to achieve the dream and I don’t really spend any effort working towards it. The reality is that I have enough money. I have to work and will have to work for many years, but it’s not a difficult job and I enjoy it. I have the flexibility that I want and am not willing to give up anything I have now to work towards a couple million dollars. It’s my comfort dream. It’s just for fun.
Don’t expect your comfort dreams to just come true. They could be called fantasies instead. Also, remember that achieving real dreams will probably not make you completely happy. They will become real life. Dreams can make life better, but they can’t necessarily make you happy.
I had very specific dreams like having children and buying a house. I’ve achieved those and they are great, but they don’t make me happy every minute of every day. This doesn’t mean you should give up your dreams, but it means you should have realistic expectations of what they can do for you. Also, continue working on findings ways to make yourself happy inside regardless of how your life is going.
