Where does daydreaming end and reality begin?
In a day and age when everyone is searching for a unique identity in this world, it is not unusual for one to long for something larger than themselves. Pair this with a dwindling societal sense of pragmatism and people may feel more inclined to “follow their dreams” instead of settling with the mundane. With this being said, it also isn’t hard for one to push all of their dreams to the side if they believe that their ideas contain even an ounce of impracticality.
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Although it's true that very few dreams come to fruition, it's sometimes harder to allow such ideas to crowd your thinking space when you feel powerless to do anything about them.
I personally find myself leaning more towards the “don’t dream because dreams are stupid” side of the spectrum, which leads to a mind full of concepts that are automatically filed away under “delusions.” I’ve thought myself to be too practical to do anything other than the mundane to ensure that I am not the one who failed trying to achieve something unusual. We have survived as a species by doing what will provide us safe means to get from day to day, so to try to map out one’s life based on “what-ifs” is tricky business.
To live a future-oriented life is great in some regards, but what do we do when desire to pursue something that could be deemed unsafe territory?
If you really think about it, anything in life involves some amount of risk, no matter how "practical" it may seem. There is a degree of mystery and a fear of failure that can come with trying something new, from the 20-somethings who want to be writers to the professional stay-at-home moms who decide to finally take their chances at community theater. You must remember, though: “There is no failure except in no longer trying.” You have failed yourself if you are left with regret at the end of your life, wondering what you could have accomplished had you made an attempt to do what you had personally deemed impossible.
If you plan correctly, you can be both practical and live out what you want to do. Someone pursuing an acting career after spending years saving up money to prepare for the possibility of being jobless at the beginning of their journey has a better chance at succeeding than an actor who throws themselves into Hollywood right away with no savings and no plan for income. To be pragmatic in your planning to pursue your dream is where these two opposite ways of thinking intersect.
You should not confuse decisions that require some effort to achieve with dreams, however, it is very easy to push aside something completely attainable for fear of being uncomfortable in a new environment. Don't put aside the prospect of a degree, for example, simply because it would mean uprooting yourself from the comfortable routine you've created for yourself.
So try to write that book you’ve been plotting in your head since high school, get that second degree, pursue that dream job that you know may not pay very well, but support it with something that is both practical and allows room for you to dream. You may find that those fantasies you didn’t think were worth exploring weren’t as unattainable as you initially thought. Even if your dreams don’t come to bear any monetary fruit, you at least won’t have that vague cloud of regret in your mind, wondering what would have happened if you had tried. It will be uncomfortable and you may want to fight it to find a safer option, but
“A dream without a plan is just a wish,” but to ignore your dreams is no way to live.
