Good Morning! The past few days I have really been thinking about what it means to have dreams. The pros and the cons. Some think dreaming is a waste of time while others think it is a vital component to one’s success. Now, I am a certified dreamer. I am constantly thinking of how I can better my life and all the possibilities that could be. My husband, on the other hand, is more of a realist. We actually balance each other out pretty well. He keeps my feet on the floor, and I give him that little extra push sometimes to step out of the box and see the possibilities.
Neither being a realist nor being a dreamer is a bad thing. I think in order to be a balanced, well-rounded person, you need to have a little bit of both qualities. It’s dangerous to be too heavily unbalanced. You know the saying, “Too much of a good thing is a bad thing”? Well, that’s totally applicable here!
Dangers of Dreaming
If all you ever do is dream, you can spend too much time focusing on what you don’t have and forget to be grateful for all the things you do have. If you’re not careful, you can become discontent and even depressed with your current life. So what can you do to avoid falling into this trap? The solution is simple. Practice daily gratitude. Every morning when I wake up, I find three things that I am grateful for. It is so important to me that I start my day with a grateful heart. In addition to my daily gratitude, any time I notice myself feeling discontent or having negative thoughts, I stop and list all my blessings. It really helps to put things into perspective and see the bigger picture. I’m not going to lie. It takes constant work and requires conscious effort, but it’s so worth it!
Another potential problem with being a dreamer is when you never get past the dreaming phase. It is great to imagine all of life’s possibilities, and it’s true that not every little dream you ever have will come true, but if you constantly catch yourself saying “Wouldn’t it be nice if……” or “I wish I could…..” and never take any action to further it, your dreams are doing you no good.
On the other end of the spectrum are the people who constantly bounce around from one dream to the next, never sticking to one thing long enough to see it through. You have to be persistent and dedicated if you ever want to see real results. Giving up at the first sign of failure or when things start to get difficult is not going to get you anywhere. Dreams can change, and it’s alright if they do, but be smart as you test the waters. This way if you decide it’s not what you thought it was, you aren’t screwed. There is something to be said for some stability in life. In order to learn how to avoid these dangers and see the process I use, check out my article “How to Make Your Dreams a Reality”.
Danger of Realism
The danger of being too realistic is simply that you miss out on all the benefits and joys of having dreams! Dreams are what drive people to do great things and become successful. Only ever looking at the here and the now can result in tunnel vision and a static life. The importance of dreaming is that it inspires you to take your life to the next level. It allows you to imagine how your life could be by following different paths. Life is like a map with endless roads to take, all leading to different destinations and realities.
I don’t know about you, but I want to conquer life, not just coast through it!
