How to Chase Your Dreams

How to Chase Your Dreams

Most of us go through life, waiting for something to happen.

Sure, we dream.

We close our eyes, we see ourselves living the life we’ve always wanted to live, doing things we’ve always wanted to do. For some, it’s being able to stay at home and raise their children. For others, it’s having a flourishing career; or traveling the world, or living on a farm.

We then open our eyes and think: “dreams are for stupid and naive“- and that’s where it all begins. The smallest thought, one limiting belief can crush your biggest dreams. The thought that you don’t have what it takes, that it’s too late for you, or that your goals and dreams can wait.

Call it doubt, call it fear, call it lack of motivation. Sometimes, we fail to accept the fact that we are the ones responsible for our lives and, consequently, our own happiness.

HOW TO CHASE YOUR DREAMS

YOUR ATTITUDE

How often do you hear someone (perhaps even yourself) say “I really want to ____, but I know that I will never be able to do it because ___” or “it’s easy for her/him to say/do, I never had that opportunity”. It doesn’t matter how many supportive people you have in your corner, if that’s the type of attitude you have, you will never get to where you want in life. To chase your dreams, you sometimes need to believe in the impossible, and you need to quit making excuses.

You don’t see happy and successful people say things like: “well… I might try this, but what’s the point, it won’t work anyway.“

It doesn’t matter if your dream is to have an amazing career, start a family, find a partner or to excel at something different, like a sport- you need to believe that you are capable of making your dreams become a reality. You can’t let things like your past experiences, opinions of others, or your age stop you from going after the things you want.

SURROUND YOURSELF WITH “THE GOOD ONES”

First, you need to believe in yourself. Period. It doesn’t matter if you have a bunch of people tell you that you’re strong, smart, brave. Unless you, yourself, believe it, it just won’t click. Motivation is something that can only come from within. Once you start surrounding yourself with people who are loving, supportive and encouraging, you start believing in yourself even more. Surround yourself with people who have that good, contagious energy. When you have no other choice but deal with people who are negative or drain the positivity out of you, learn to protect your own energy.

I hear people being encouraging… in a very discouraging way, all the time. People who say things like “well, you can try going for it, but I doubt you’ll get anywhere, but you know, good luck” or “things like that don’t happen to people like us.” These words can certainly discourage a person from talking about their plans, or things they want to accomplish. If you can’t talk about your dreams and plans with those who are close to you, how can you really support and encourage one another?

STEP OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE

Stepping out of your comfort zone is scary and it can even be paralyzing at times. I’ve dealt with anxiety for years and sometimes even the smallest of things can be terrifying for me. Here’s what I’ve learned: the more you push yourself through, the more you put yourself in situations where you know you won’t have complete control, as you try more and more new things, you grow. You learn new things about yourself and you realize that this fear that you’re feeling, is what can eventually help you become fearless.

We are creatures of comfort- there’s no denying that- and if we had it our way, we’d probably never leave our comfort zone, where fear or anxiety is a rare guest. Challenging and pushing yourself past your fears, is the only thing that can make you grow.  Dream chasers step out of their comfort zone on a regular basis- it’s how they become more creative and confident. It’s also what can help you feel inspired again after you’ve been “stuck”  for a while. Sometimes, you might not even know that you have a passion for something until you try it.

KEEP GOING, NO MATTER WHAT

Whatever it is you’re after in life, you can’t let yourself be discouraged easily. Be it by other people, even those close to you, or by your own negative self-talk. If it was easy to go after what you want, then everyone you know would be living out their dream life.

Chasing your dreams isn’t always easy.

Failing isn’t easy.

Pushing yourself through tough times isn’t easy.

Doing things and working toward your dreams and goals when you don’t feel like it, isn’t easy.

This is why not everyone is willing to do what it takes to live out their dreams. If you want to chase your dreams and make them come true, you pick yourself up and try again, each time you fail. Most people see fear and challenges as obstacles and they tend to run away from them. It’s the first thing that comes to mind, a logical, it seems, thing to do. To chase your dreams, you need to interpret that fear as a challenge itself, an opportunity;  don’t ask: “what’s the worst thing that could happen?” ask: “what’s the best thing that could happen?“

DON’T CONCERN YOURSELF WITH WHAT EVERYONE ELSE IS DOING

In the age when social media seem to have taken over our lives, it’s very easy to start comparing yourself to others- which can often lead to you feeling discouraged. Chase your own dreams- realize that we all have our own and unique path. Be so busy working on your own grass, that you don’t have time to notice someone else’s might be greener.

This won’t always be easy- especially when sometimes it seems that everyone’s doing great things and moving on in life, while you’re at a standstill, feeling confused, in a rut, not knowing what your next step should be. Rather than feeling bad or envious and pushing those things or experiences away, think of it this way: it’s the Universe (or God, or “life” whatever you choose to believe) showing you that it can be done, that it is possible. You deserve to have amazing things, people and experiences in your life, just as much as anyone else. Yes, some people might have it easier than others; that does not mean that you’re in any way less capable of finding and following your passion and bringing your dreams into reality.

Another very important thing I’ve learned? In order to learn how to chase your dreams, you can’t be afraid to fail- and this might be the toughest part to accept. Some of the best lessons you’ll ever learn will come from your failures. Some failures come with no lessons at all. 

Dreaming, but not doing, is just wishing. You can’t wait for the perfect moment or opportunity to come your way. You can’t wait for things to just “happen.” Act on your desires and chase your dreams, even if it means taking very small steps, one day at a time.