Do you remember as a kid what you dreamed you would be when you grew up? For some of us, those things seem silly now, but somehow during adulthood, we managed to lose sight of what it was like to dream. Today I want you to consider why you should dare to dream again.
For the record, I dreamed I would be a grocery bagger. Yep, I set my sights high. I did work at a register in a retail store in my teen years, so I pretty much achieved my childhood goals.
Why You Need to Dare to Dream
Life can have a pesky way of knocking you down. For many, it’s hard not to get cynical when it repeatedly seems as if things aren’t going your way.
Perhaps you didn’t have people in your life who told you what you were capable of or who gave you hope for a better future. Or maybe you did and you’ve just forgotten it along the way.
The good news is you can change that. You can choose different messages to tell yourself and you can choose to have hope again. Dare to dream that life can change and you can be in a different place before you know it.
“Six months from now you can be in a completely different space, mentally, spiritually, and financially. Keep working and believing in yourself.” -unknown
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do, so throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, Dream, Discover.” –Mark Twain
How to Dare to Dream
There are practical steps you can take as you dare to dream again. Here are five of them.
Set goals
As you begin to dare to dream think about your goals. Do a brainstorming session and write down every conceivable possibility of something you might want to do, accomplish, or be.
Don’t edit your thoughts. Don’t try to be realistic. Just get it all down as you dream and imagine. You can get more practical later.
As you look over what you wrote, what sticks out to you? What goals really resonate with the direction you want to go? Focus on those.
Create specific and meaningful goals. If you want to achieve those goals, you’ll need to incorporate habits to help get you there.
It’s helpful to include accountability and a review process too. Choose goals that you feel meaningful and important to you. You’ll be more likely to succeed in things that you care about deeply.
“The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don’t define them, or ever seriously consider them as believable or achievable. Winners can tell you where they are going, what they plan to do along the way, and who will be sharing the adventure with them.” -Denis Waitley
Examine your thoughts and habits
What are the messages you tell yourself? Do they limit you or motivate you? We all have things we believe about ourselves either from what other people have told us or from life experiences.
Those messages can become self-limiting beliefs that keep us from dreaming. Think outside your circumstances and situation and imagine what could be.
If you are a pessimist by nature, this will be more of a challenge, but you can change the way you think.
The habits you choose including how you think and speak determine your likelihood of success. Even small simple habits have big results over time.
Look at what is motivating your choices. Fear can be a driving force that prevents us from daring to dream.
Change can be scary. Trying sometimes ends in failure. However, letting fear run your life would be the saddest end of all.
“Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.” –Henry Ford
“Life isn’t about getting and having, it’s about giving and being.” –Kevin Kruse
Create your definition of success
Your dreams don’t have to look like anyone else’s. You get to define what success looks like in your life.
It doesn’t have to mean a lot of money or fancy things. Your goals could be to simply be the best version of yourself and be content.
Don’t get caught in chasing things just because other people are. Consider if the things you are after will really bring value and meaning to your life.
If not, then work on defining what success is for you. Dare to dream your own unique dream of what living well looks like.
Dreaming big could be imagining a damaged relationship being restored. It often isn’t the most flashy things that are truly life-changing.
Pursue your unique calling. Don’t chase things that are not for you and it’s 100% fine to be content with a slow and simple life and have that be your goal.
As you go after your version of success, choose gratitude along the way. You may not be where you want to be yet, but choosing to be grateful will help you be happier along your journey.
“Learn how to be happy with what you have while you pursue all that you want.” -Jim Rohn
Stop settling
In life we often accept things being the way they are simply because that is how they are right now. We settle for less than ideal and sometimes get stuck there.
Change takes effort. You have to be willing to get out of your comfort zone when you dare to dream. But no one ever settled for a great life. It isn’t something that just happens.
Dreaming opens your eyes to possibilities. It helps you imagine how things could be. It can be an enlightening process that motivates you to do things differently.
It’s when you date to dream that you end complacency. Stop settling for just ok. Your life was meant to be lived.
“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” –Mark Twain
Don’t give up
As you dream and make changes, you will face opposition. Most good things in life don’t come without difficulties.
“There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing.“ –Aristotle
The process can be a test of perseverance. Giving up is common especially with things get hard.
Don’t be common. You’ve got to want what is on the other side of the challenges more than you want to be comfortable.
Expect challenges. Know that there will also be failures. But also know that you can only succeed if you keep going.
“You can’t fail if you don’t quit. You can’t succeed if you don’t start.” -Michael Hyatt
So what do you want in your life? What is holding you back? When was the last time you dared to dream?
Regain some of that childlike daydreaming when you imagined who you’d be and what you could do. Don’t limit your possibilities or give reasons why it won’t work.
Allow yourself to dare to dream again and choose to live your life to the fullest.
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