Here's To Dreaming Big

I'm not sure when, but somewhere along the line we've all decided that dreaming is for kids. Oh yeah, we all try to say to ourselves that we think that dreaming big is important, and we tell our kids that. Or maybe we were told that as kids. I mean, weren't you ever told that you could be anything you want to be*?

*As long as that "anything" is a doctor, lawyer, or dentist...

I literally heard a person say once that the reason that a couple divorced is because he was a "dreamer". As if that was supposed to explain just how validated the divorce was.

Dreaming in conjunction with other traits can be a very bad thing. I'm sure we all know a dreamer who is lazy. Who talks constantly of all the neat things he's going to do, yet sits in front of his laptop writing blog posts all day.

I'd like to point out that it isn't the dreaming that's the problem, it's the lazy.

I have a niece that's pretty close to my age, so she's really more like a sister-in-law. Erika is her name, and she's a dreamer (now don't you dare attach any of the negative connotations to that word, we just went over that).

In her early 20's, Erika has already done several things that most people would consider "unconventional". She's lived (not vacationed) in Mexico. She's moved out to Vancouver to waittress and act on the side. She's sold her own original artwork for cash. She's been a model. She's performed several shows performing covers as well as original music. Among many other things.

And now she's getting ready to pack up and go to Dawson City, Yukon to work for a few months to get enough money to spend a year in Australia and then to tour Europe after that.

We try to get Erika to come by as much as we can. The reason is because when she comes by, she leaves me and Trish feeling energized. Excited. About all the things that we want to do in life before we get all crotchety. She reminds us how the days will slip by if we don't grab them. This is why you need a dreamer in your life.

Maybe you have a friend who is a dreamer. Maybe you are married to one. Heck, maybe you are one. Whatever the case, realize that these people are here to boost the rest of us. Dreamers have the unfortunate situation of having to go through life having 90% of people tell them that what they want to do isn't practical, or realistic. Who cares? What's the worst that can happen? Now that's just Erika talking.

So forget about all the reasons that you can't do something. Seriously, you only live once. And I'm willing to bet that whatever it is that you're dreaming about, telling yourself that you'll do it someday, will only get harder and harder to do with every passing day. So start on it now. Go hang out with a dreamer that you know, and be inspired. And if you try and fail, who cares? At least you tried, during the one chance that you had, the one life that you'll never get to live again.

So here's to dreaming big, and not worrying too much about the details. My family is full of dreamers (on both sides), and I'm saying that it's one of the biggest compliments that I can give.




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