Dreamers, Realities, and the Trappings of Life

Everybody has creative ideas and dreams. It's the courageous few, through their
determination and perseverance who turn dreams into tangible realities, with sus
tainable consumer needs, and/or purposes in industry or the marketplace.
Playing it safe and doing nothing usually ends with unfulfilled dreamers, lookin
g back over their lives, asking the question, "What if?" What if I followed my b
liss and took a chance? What might have happened? Could I have been successful a
nd would I now be more happy and content than I am? Those that do nothing will n
ever know.
When first starting out on the road to independence, self realization, and fulfi
llment, young dreamers feel invincible, visualizing the world at their feet with
unlimited possibilities. If at first the world doesn't share the dreamer's enth
usiasm, it doesn't necessarily mean that the dreamer is wrong, or that their vis
ion doesn't have any value. It does mean that the dreamer will now have to figur
e out why, and then go on to the next step, or move on to their next big idea. T
he obvious problem with this process is that everybody has to make a living. Unl
ess the dreamer is very rich or gets lucky and the dream actually starts generat
ing an income for them, finding a paying job soon becomes a priority.
Along the way, if the dreamer is not careful, soon the trappings of life replace
the dream with tangible possessions, which includes the responsibilities and co
mmitments to sustain them. The dreamer's focus changes from what could be, to wh
at is.
Life, time, and space are so finite and at best uncertain with death the only ce
rtainty and inevitable outcome for all existence. With that understanding, keepi
ng up with the Joneses hardly seems as important as following one's bliss. When
courageously taking any first step, in an attempt to rise up above complacency;
realize our dreams, to give us more value and completeness, and fulfill our pote
ntials, we all soon find that if it were easy, everybody would be doing it.
If everyone played it safe succumbing to their own self-inflected limitations, w
e would all still be living in the middle ages. We all benefit from the risk tak
ers, if only to inspire us to reach our full potentials. Personally, I gravitate
to people who think outside the box; not afraid to try new things. As Theodore
Roosevelt said, "...there place shall never be with those timid souls who know n
either victory nor defeat." It's an exciting place to be, even if it takes a lif
etime to get there. We are all better off from those who are actually in the are
na, pushing the envelope beyond what is, to what can be, while constantly reachi
ng ahead of us to the infinite possibilities beyond.
There are countless stories of people who were ahead of their time, with their w
ork only appreciated after their death. Whether they succeed in life or not is n
ot as important as their determination to make it all happen, and after years of
hard work, to finally realize their dream as something real and tangible. By do
ing nothing, the dream remains but a dream, and dies with the dreamer - as so of
ten tragically happens. At least the courageous followed their bliss and took a
chance with that first step to a higher calling instead of just leaving the drea
m a mere fabric of their unfulfilled imagination.
So follow your bliss, dream big dreams, hold your standards high, reach for the
stars - and by all means remember that nothing really good comes easy because i
f it did everybody would be doing it.