Dreams – do you still have them?

This is a topic that is really close to my heart and I would like to share my thoughts on this one with all of you.

Due to my business I get in touch with a lot of people and we very often talk about the future and dreams. However, on many occasions this subject is quickly done with as people either don’t want to talk about their dreams and the future or maybe they don’t dream anymore and have given up the hope to get out of the day-to-day rat race in the corporate world. Sometimes, I even have the feeling that many people lost hope of a better life with less stress and pressure at work, more time for family and friends and enough money to enjoy the things that are important to them. I especially feel bad when I hear young people who are not able to tell me what they would like to do or achieve, what they like to do with their lives or aspire to. I know that not everybody knows what they would like to do in their life and there might be even some people who don’t care about achievement and the rest fo their life. However, I  think this is only a minority and most people have a talent and are good at something, but might not often get the chance to discover it and do it.

Let’s explore some reasons that might have an influence on this hopelessness of some people. Most people had dreams when they were younger. For example, if you would asked children at the age between 3 to 6, definitely before they go to school, what they aspire to be when they are older. Most certainly you will hear very exciting things like such as: fire fighter, astronaut, pilot for boys and princess, singer, dancer or actress for girls. (I just gave these examples to illustrate something and they are many more answers.) These children are still dreaming and don’t think about if it is possible, they just think it would be nice to be that person or do a specific thing.

Then, when these children start growing up and going to school they will slowly be caught by reality and they wishes become more realistic or disappear at all. But why? Is it because nobody really wants these individual high-flyers that go for their dreams and live them? Do teachers praise very often or really help you to find your talents in school or do they rather try to put you into a uniform way of thinking? Is it because your friends and other people that are important to you might give you that awkward look and tease you when you were sharing your big dreams with them? I think quiet possibly reasons, that people will put their dreams aside and rather get any kind of job after finishing school that gets you money to pay your bills instead of doing something that you really want.

I truly believe that every person has a talent, but might not get the chance to find out and be able to explore it. Unfortunately, it is reality for many people these days that they have to do a job (which is an abbreviation for Just Over Broke) to pay their bills only and that day in and day out for the rest of their life.

Additionally, parents play a big role in the personal development of a child, especially when it comes to dreams and future plans. Unfortunately, not all parents give the overall support and encouragement a child might need to find that thing they are good at and the talent that lies in everybody and most importantly to turn into something that you can live from (either a job or your own business). We all heard these phrase at some point from our parents: ” Don’t you want to learn or do something proper!” and ” Make sure you get good grades in school and then you can go to university and get a better job!”. It might not be true for everybody and not so often in these days, but In one way or the other we have been pushed from our teachers and parents into a life that more than 90% of people have: go to school, maybe university, then get the next best job, change jobs and careers and do this for the rest of the life until you might be able to retire, which for generation will most likely not be possible if you do not start doing something about it now (but this is another subject). Is this really what an average life shall look like?

Maybe we all just need a bit of praise, encouragement and a chance (mostly time) to find out what we want and want to do, maybe have talent for and a way to make money with it. Some people even say that when you work for somebody else, you help them make their dreams come true instead of living your own. Does that mean that we all should have our own business? Why not, when you want to achieve your dreams?

When I look back at my childhood I feel very lucky, because I was able to explore a lot of different things when I was child. I think I changed my sports about a dozen times, before I found my passion for water polo. Then, still being in school and working part time I found that I would like to have a career in hospitality and now I recently found a business that I can enjoy and strive in. Most of it came together because I have the best mother in the world who always supported me and never told me that I cannot so something, but rather encouraged me to try and find ways to make my dreams come true. Thank you for that and I hope that everybody has someone in their life that will encourage them on a daily basis, praise them for what they are good at and support them to achieve their dreams as crazy they might be.

I will continue to live my dreams as I have done in the past and I know that I can share this with many other people who I will meet in future. Hopefully, I can help them to achieve their dreams as well. One thing I know for sure that helping people to achieve their dreams will ultimately make my dreams come true.

Thank you for reading this far and I would like to hear from you and your thoughts on this subject. What is about your dreams, that you have or had, when you were a child? Do you remember when you had an idea or a dream and other people talked you out of it? Are you making your dreams come true? Let me know what helped you to do so.