Dream again…
The bigger and the better
Have you ever experienced a dream so lively and detailed that was then suddenly cut short for whatever reason? I mean you were just about to cross the finish line on the 100 yard dash then your body alerts you that it’s time to use the bathroom? Or maybe it's that you hear your enraging alarm going off again? Ugh, we all hate those moments. You immediately want to just shut your eyes, pick up where you left off, and see how it all ends. Literally hit snooze for a few more seconds so you can go back and claim your well deserved victory; then proceed with the day. Well, sometimes that’s actually our reality. One second we can be approaching the climax of our dream and the next something unexpected arises that derails us from it. Only sometimes this disruption is not just for a moment and lasts longer than we intended. Sometimes this disruption isn’t major but instead us in our own way. I can’t even begin to tell you how this has countlessly happened to me until I realized I needed to make the conscious decision to in fact — dream again.
Honestly, I tussled with what reason I would share for my “derailed dream” aka my unplanned hiatus. Would I share how life sped up and burnt me out? Would I share how imposter syndrome had me in a mighty chokehold? Or would I say that I simply didn’t feel like it? Because the thing is there is no blanket answer…. all are true. Somewhere down the line my sight of the dream became overshadowed by the sight of my surroundings. At core I knew I wanted nothing more than to share my long list of lessons and impact the life of others but at surface it felt like everywhere I scrolled was oversaturated by pretty content with impressive information. “Where does that leave me?”, I wondered. But, maybe I also didn’t actually count the cost of what came with the dream. Because why was it starting to feel more like a chore rather than purpose? Maybe I forgot to factor in the moments that writer's block would hit or when doubt would try to seep in. It seems easy to plan for the glitz and glam but often we half step the preparation for when we will face those mundane days. Perhaps, we underestimate how much of ourselves the dream is actually going to take. With so many thoughts rambling through my head, the only relevant question I couldn’t seem to shake was when the waves of life come crashing down on us and we find ourselves waist deep, how do we get back up? Where do we go from losing our momentum to dreaming again? As elementary as this may seem, we have to go back to Genesis:
the beginning and the basics.
Beginning. Remembering that very first moment that God placed the vision on your heart. Remembering the gaze in your eyes and the brightness in your smile. It practically felt like you just found out there was an infant baking in your womb. You probably dreamt about what you were going to name it, how you were going to nurture it, and even how it was going to change the world. The closer that dream came into fruition, the more eager you grew and in love you fell. When we lose our way, we have to remember these same first moments and grab hold of it. For as long as I can remember, the depth of life has always been the bridge between the world and I which birthed my love for words. I cherish them and I create them. My mind constantly wanders and I feel everything deeply, for myself and for others. Not knowing the power in this at first, I believed the projected narrative of being hypersensitive but really exploring empathy was my bit of difference in this realm. See – God gives us all gifts for a reason. Our gifts cultivate our dreams and our dreams carry out His vision for the world. He cares about our dreams and He cares about the desires of our heart. He cares enough that He is willing to redirect us back when we wander or even in a better direction. The same way He painted heaven and earth with us in mind, so He has given us the paintbrush for our destiny to complete the masterpiece. But first, we have to believe it for ourselves. We have to believe there is a reason for this God-dream and see the piece it plays in the bigger picture. We have to believe there are people that are attached to our dream and waiting for us to fulfill it. We can choose to question if we have what it takes or we can remember the one who first gave us the ability to dream big and believe in ourselves.
Basics. Falling in love again with the small steps that lead to the big ones. Falling in love with that thing again that comes so natural to you that you felt it could provide a solution to a problem in the world. For me that looked like simply journaling whatever was on my heart, even if that meant doodles of hearts and smiley faces all over the page. Child’s play but just the ability to freely express myself on paper without bounds made me feel so alive. Burnout needs to be followed by a space of ease. It’s here that we begin to retrace those footsteps that we once left. For you that could be engaging in an intriguing conversation with a group of friends or singing along to your favorite song. Sometimes we think we’ve given up on something until we frivolously create from scratch without trying. The small steps may not always be exactly tied to our dream but it's those minute activities that jog the memory of our why. Just like muscles need to constantly be triggered to activate our strength, so do our dreams. Slowly but surely your passion begins to build again as you find a new rhythm for yourself. Not the one that social media imposes on us to keep up with the algorithm and aesthetics but the one that reminds us of how much our heart flutters while we’re doing that thing. I’m sure athletes would tell us that they don’t always feel like training but that electric feeling through their body once they’re out on that field and everyone is cheering is what keeps them going. In some capacity, we play exactly how we practice so find a steady tempo that feels good for you and allows you to live out your dreams.
Here are some practical steps to fulfill your dreams:
Get inspired. Having a dream gives us something to look forward to each day. It keeps us intact and it gives us a sense of purpose. Remember what God put on your heart and keep your eyes on the prize. Make it fun again. It takes endurance to push on — apply wisdom, affirm yourself, and be gracious.
Develop a system. Dreams require sacrifice, commitment, and discipline. Do an audit of your time and your mental health. Minimize your distractions and set attainable expectations for yourself. Find a natural flow in your daily routine that allows you to invest into your dream weekly.
Share your dreams. Surround yourself with people who are dreamers themselves and uplift your dream. I’ll never forget the time I heard “faith has friends” because it indeed does. These people can hold you accountable to the goals you set for yourself and cheer you on along the way.
Any opportunity that we’re allotted to open our eyes, breathe air into our lungs, and sore this universe is another day to create anew. At any time, we are welcome to come back to ourselves. By revisiting the beginning and the basics we are able to see through any vision we have. So whether a revived or a fresh one, I’m daring all of us to dream again. Right now, right where we are. After all, a dream deferred is not a dream denied. It is still a dream :)
Dreams
Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.
Langston Hughes (1901-1967)