Although the idea of "dreams" and "dreaming" is romantic and beautiful, I've come to realize that I dislike the word "dream." Why? For many reasons.
When we say to someone, "Follow your dreams!", That person often sighs or just stays in a constant state of dreaming. The word "dream" is used when the place a person wants to be at in life seems almost unattainable, so we call it a dream instead of acknowledging it as reality.
Growing up, we associate dreams with fantasy and fairytales, so by the time we actually have real "dreams" we feel as if we can never reach them because of the unfair expectations that are put on us.
When we say to someone, "Follow your dreams!", That person often sighs or just stays in a constant state of dreaming. The word "dream" is used when the place a person wants to be at in life seems almost unattainable, so we call it a dream instead of acknowledging it as reality.
Growing up, we associate dreams with fantasy and fairytales, so by the time we actually have real "dreams" we feel as if we can never reach them because of the unfair expectations that are put on us.
Here are some examples. We as men and women grow up dreaming up the perfect partner; a Prince Charming or Princess that we are waiting for to make our lives complete. But since we have the ideology of these images being dreams and fantasies, we end up subconsciously self-destructing by settling for "someone who won't hit me" or "someone who probably won't cheat." - When a child grows up dreaming to be a rockstar but instead of taking music lessons and working towards that, he is told that it would be stupid and unattainable: that it's just a dream or a hobby that he could do on the side of his actual profession.
So you see, we as a society push the idea of "following your dreams" but then simultaneously push people to settle because in the end, those dreams are simply unattainable. They are just silly childish dreams.
Childish dreams. Why are we telling our children to have dreams...but then later tell them to give up those childish dreams.
Don't get me wrong. I have always considered myself to be a big dreamer and I love having amazing visions for the future. I think the ability to dream is beautiful. But I think we have to take dreams to the next step and actually put them into practice.
I have been incredibly blessed in my life to have ambitious and supportive parents. My first "dream" was to be a rockstar. My parents put me in music lessons and voice lessons....that dream quickly faded. I then wanted to be an incredible athlete so my parents got me into sports. I broke many body parts and that dream dramatically slipped away. My parents got me my first camera...I am now making films and wanting to change the world through that lens they supplied me with. And when I told my parents I had dreams of being a filmmaker and changing the world, of course they had some concerns because obviously that's not the most safest of life choices, but they never told me to put that dream away. They looked at me and my "dream" and believed that I could make it into reality if I wanted it badly enough. I'm sure if they would have pushed for me to give it up, or choose a more stable route, I wouldn't be a filmmaker now.
I see my dad as the hardest worker I have ever known. He has always been pursuing his passions, he has gained so much wisdom and I am blessed to be able to learn from him. Since he was a teenager, he has been on the move, bettering himself and his family. Society says that it is virtually impossible to move up the class ladder. Guess what? My dad did. And because he never saw his goals as unattainable, I now have a life that is filled with opportunity. And I'm sure my mom had her doubts at times, especially when she was trying to raise a few kids, but she supported my dad in his passions no matter what. If my dad had to pick up and leave for a new job, my mom didn't question it.(She probably worried a little bit. Who wouldn't?) But she and my dad, through passion, persistence, support, and by the grace of God have made a successful life not only for themselves, but for me and my siblings as well.
So you see, we as a society push the idea of "following your dreams" but then simultaneously push people to settle because in the end, those dreams are simply unattainable. They are just silly childish dreams.
Childish dreams. Why are we telling our children to have dreams...but then later tell them to give up those childish dreams.
Don't get me wrong. I have always considered myself to be a big dreamer and I love having amazing visions for the future. I think the ability to dream is beautiful. But I think we have to take dreams to the next step and actually put them into practice.
I have been incredibly blessed in my life to have ambitious and supportive parents. My first "dream" was to be a rockstar. My parents put me in music lessons and voice lessons....that dream quickly faded. I then wanted to be an incredible athlete so my parents got me into sports. I broke many body parts and that dream dramatically slipped away. My parents got me my first camera...I am now making films and wanting to change the world through that lens they supplied me with. And when I told my parents I had dreams of being a filmmaker and changing the world, of course they had some concerns because obviously that's not the most safest of life choices, but they never told me to put that dream away. They looked at me and my "dream" and believed that I could make it into reality if I wanted it badly enough. I'm sure if they would have pushed for me to give it up, or choose a more stable route, I wouldn't be a filmmaker now.
I see my dad as the hardest worker I have ever known. He has always been pursuing his passions, he has gained so much wisdom and I am blessed to be able to learn from him. Since he was a teenager, he has been on the move, bettering himself and his family. Society says that it is virtually impossible to move up the class ladder. Guess what? My dad did. And because he never saw his goals as unattainable, I now have a life that is filled with opportunity. And I'm sure my mom had her doubts at times, especially when she was trying to raise a few kids, but she supported my dad in his passions no matter what. If my dad had to pick up and leave for a new job, my mom didn't question it.(She probably worried a little bit. Who wouldn't?) But she and my dad, through passion, persistence, support, and by the grace of God have made a successful life not only for themselves, but for me and my siblings as well.
And that's just it, there are millions of people out there who are unhappy with where they are at right now in life and where they are going. They don't know what they want and it's driving them crazy and into depression. It aggravates me because, again, society has told you to follow your dreams but has also instilled the fear of not being secure. It tells you that if you are not financially, emotionally, physically, and mentally secure then you have failed. Society has secretly set you up for failure. You could be sitting a desk job right now but you grew up dreaming to be an artist. You only took this job to be financially secure but now you are emotionally insecure. You are not satisfied, you are not passionate, you are not alive because you gave up on your dreams to fit into society.
I know...I'm being a bit harsh. But why stay unhappy? To fit in? Why do you accept this life of settling when you could break out and become your own person despite the weird and contradicting agendas of society.
1) Turn your dreams into goals
As I've discussed, I feel like using the word "dream" is just setting us up for failure. Can we just say "Goal"? Goals are attainable. Goals are substantial ways to accomplish everything you want. So, you wanna be a filmmaker? Work your ass off in college. Make films. Get your name out there. Apply yourself and get the job you want.
You wanna be a musician? Take lessons. Record some songs and get them out there.
The point is, If you have an end result you would like to attain, don't refer to it as a dream. Create goals for yourself to reach that result.
If you want to change the world, create a blueprint for yourself and get started.
Think about it. Society is comfortable where it's at. It has all the power over you. It's telling you to think of "changing the world" as a dream so that you will think of changing the world as unattainable. SOCIETY DOESN'T WANT TO CHANGE BECAUSE THEN IT WOULDN'T HAVE DOMINION OVER YOU. So you're gonna have to change yourself to be truly happy.
2) I'm not saying just drop everything and pursue your passions. I'm saying that anything worth having is a process and you have to want it enough. Work for it.
Don't just go quit your job and go spend all your savings. No. Stupid. Don't do that. Wrong.
Society has been very sneaky, strategic, and invasive in the way it has manipulated us to think about ourselves. It is so strategic that it has been able to hide in our subconscious and stop us from changing. That's terrifying. So in order to change the process, to change the system, we need to be just as strategic in our actions. In order for US to get into SOCIETY'S subconscious, we have to work incredibly hard and we have to be willing to go against the grain. So like I said, make a blueprint four yourself and who you want to be. Get other people on board and just do it.
3) Figure out whose expectations you are submitting to.
Society is the blanket over the many pressures and expectations we yield to every day. What's your expectation that you are feeling pressure from? What is stopping you specifically from being happy? Parents, school, body image, career, finances, friends, past experiences, what is it???? What is it that is pressuring you to not be all that you can be? I encourage you to do some soul searching and ask yourself what is stopping you from reaching your goals.
4) It's only going to get better if you want it to. You followed society into this mess, you can get out of it.
Okay, so once you figure out what expectations you are submitting to....FIND THE RESOURCES YOU NEED TO DELETE THEM FROM YOUR LIFE. It's one thing to know the problem in your life, but a whole other thing to actually get rid of it. And here is the other thing, you aren't supposed to be doing this on your own. Society tries to get us to think that we are on our own and we get tricked into not letting other resources help us. Stop feeding into that lie and just get people on your side. We are in a constant battle with society and ourselves so the more people we have on our side, the more of a chance we have to win. Do need to talk to a counselor? Do need a financial advisor or life coach? Honestly, our insecurity of other people helping us is exactly what society wants for us. We can't change the world on our own, we need people. Figure out what you need, and then find the resources to help you.
Here is a cover of a song that I think is really cool. To me, it's talking about the voices of society in our head trying to bring us down and turn us into lifeless creatures. It's depressing but that's the whole point. Check it out.
I know...I'm being a bit harsh. But why stay unhappy? To fit in? Why do you accept this life of settling when you could break out and become your own person despite the weird and contradicting agendas of society.
1) Turn your dreams into goals
As I've discussed, I feel like using the word "dream" is just setting us up for failure. Can we just say "Goal"? Goals are attainable. Goals are substantial ways to accomplish everything you want. So, you wanna be a filmmaker? Work your ass off in college. Make films. Get your name out there. Apply yourself and get the job you want.
You wanna be a musician? Take lessons. Record some songs and get them out there.
The point is, If you have an end result you would like to attain, don't refer to it as a dream. Create goals for yourself to reach that result.
If you want to change the world, create a blueprint for yourself and get started.
Think about it. Society is comfortable where it's at. It has all the power over you. It's telling you to think of "changing the world" as a dream so that you will think of changing the world as unattainable. SOCIETY DOESN'T WANT TO CHANGE BECAUSE THEN IT WOULDN'T HAVE DOMINION OVER YOU. So you're gonna have to change yourself to be truly happy.
2) I'm not saying just drop everything and pursue your passions. I'm saying that anything worth having is a process and you have to want it enough. Work for it.
Don't just go quit your job and go spend all your savings. No. Stupid. Don't do that. Wrong.
Society has been very sneaky, strategic, and invasive in the way it has manipulated us to think about ourselves. It is so strategic that it has been able to hide in our subconscious and stop us from changing. That's terrifying. So in order to change the process, to change the system, we need to be just as strategic in our actions. In order for US to get into SOCIETY'S subconscious, we have to work incredibly hard and we have to be willing to go against the grain. So like I said, make a blueprint four yourself and who you want to be. Get other people on board and just do it.
3) Figure out whose expectations you are submitting to.
Society is the blanket over the many pressures and expectations we yield to every day. What's your expectation that you are feeling pressure from? What is stopping you specifically from being happy? Parents, school, body image, career, finances, friends, past experiences, what is it???? What is it that is pressuring you to not be all that you can be? I encourage you to do some soul searching and ask yourself what is stopping you from reaching your goals.
4) It's only going to get better if you want it to. You followed society into this mess, you can get out of it.
Okay, so once you figure out what expectations you are submitting to....FIND THE RESOURCES YOU NEED TO DELETE THEM FROM YOUR LIFE. It's one thing to know the problem in your life, but a whole other thing to actually get rid of it. And here is the other thing, you aren't supposed to be doing this on your own. Society tries to get us to think that we are on our own and we get tricked into not letting other resources help us. Stop feeding into that lie and just get people on your side. We are in a constant battle with society and ourselves so the more people we have on our side, the more of a chance we have to win. Do need to talk to a counselor? Do need a financial advisor or life coach? Honestly, our insecurity of other people helping us is exactly what society wants for us. We can't change the world on our own, we need people. Figure out what you need, and then find the resources to help you.
Here is a cover of a song that I think is really cool. To me, it's talking about the voices of society in our head trying to bring us down and turn us into lifeless creatures. It's depressing but that's the whole point. Check it out.
Okay yeah so I know a lot of my blog posts tend to be very harsh and look like social critiques....haha well they are. I'm willing to discuss any and all agreements and disagreements so leave a comment if you feel inclined to.
But in the end, society is problematic and the only way to change it is to stop making excuses and just do it.
You are all beautiful flowers and I believe in our ability to fight.