The Truth About Dreams

What does it take to follow your dreams, to see your dreams come to fruition? Is it worth the sleepless nights, the self-doubt that fills you up at every "no" you get? What keeps you going?

For as long as I remember, I loved stories, be it watching or reading these stories. As I read or watch these, and find myself completely entranced, I foresee myself telling my own stories. I want to be a storyteller; that is the dream. The dream that will see me leaving my home to stay with friends. It seems that I am chasing this dream that is ever so elusive.

To be honest, fear kept me from fully immersing myself in my ability to tell these stories that have been lighting up my soul. Maybe I'm not good enough, I pondered—each rejection that came, cemented the thoughts I had of myself. I refrain from writing, because the no’s hit me harder, and the yeses were hard to be found, let me rephrase that, the yeses are non-existent.

Following your dreams requires you to have the kind of faith that parted the red sea. One must continuously remember the whys, that is, what has kept me going, or it could be that I'm stubborn as an ox. I must admit, nothing else brings me much joy other than telling stories, mostly in text.

We're always being told that following our dreams may be one of the most fulfilling things in life, yet with every rejection, we feel further away from realising those said dreams, then despair starts to close in, the dark of doubt covers your whole future.

A lot of us keep on fighting the good fight, but others succumb to the pressures of the world! Fortunately, the world hasn't gotten to me yet, so I keep holding on. Although, every now and then I do ask myself, is it all worth it?

Some may say following our dreams is directly linked to finding our purpose, but nothing ever prepares us for the obstacles ahead. The idea of success has long been defined for us, maybe that's where our suffering begins. Trying to live up to someone else's definition of success is challenging, if not improbable. I'm only defining success just like everyone else, here I am thinking, maybe trying alone is good enough.

I can't say for sure that the sentiments I share above are enough to alleviate my anxiety of the future, but it does make some sense to me. There's nothing wrong with wanting to make money from your craft, but that cannot be the goal. My goal has always been to tell stories! In my pursuit of that, I was rejected, had to find new ways to continue the dream. When I finally run out of ways to pursue my dream, maybe I'll consider giving up.

This is not the story of giving up, it is about finding sustenance in the pursuit of your dreams. There's a saying that alludes to not thinking about how hard the fall was, but how you got up. And if you really think about it, isn't that how life works?

My point has always been about managing your expectations around what the result will look like. And allowing yourself a break from it all. To review if your goals still align with your dreams, to remind yourself that you're not competing with anyone but yourself.

The questions asked at the beginning were to address the uncertainties of pursuing your dream. Knowing your purpose, and choosing to follow it, that's the greatest gift you ever get to offer the world. As it beats you down, never lose that focus.

Keep on doing you! You’ll be alright.