Are you afraid to dream?

As children, we are all taught that we can be anything we want to be. The President, an astronaut, a sports star, a Broadway star. We are all told that we can attain these dreams. At what point do other people's dreams turn into our own? When do we actually step out of what other people are telling us we want and actually begin to have dreams of our own? What keeps us from actually reaching for our dreams? 

Some people never have dreams. Some people live in the shadows of society for their entire life and never question if they are really happy with their life. If people don't ever take the time to look at their wants and needs, they can never really have dreams of their own, it will only be dreams that have been passed on to them that they are told that they want. People strive for things they are told they want: money, fame, a family. But are these things they really want? Are these things really going to make them happy? Maybe for a little while. But, really, these things can never make a person truly happy. They are reaching for something they are told they want instead of taking the time to figure out what will make them happy. 

There are times when we have a chance to see our dreams but we are too afraid to act on it. The people that only look towards their dreams but never act on them live a very lonely life indeed. They live in constant fear that they will be unable to achieve any dreams so they don't even bother trying. People like this may not realize that you miss every shot you are afraid to take until it is too late. When you see what you want and you are too afraid to do anything about it, you live your life wondering "what if?". Maybe it is the fear of failure, maybe it is the fear of the unknown, but we are too afraid to act on what will really make us happy. 

Some people gain this knowledge early in life. Other people wake up one day, after having a career and family and deciding that this is not the life they want. These people realize that there is more to life than just work. There is more to life than the constant need to make sure other people are happy. No one can really pin point a time in life when you have the ability to dream, it comes to us all at different times in our life. Being able to recognize your dreams and act on them takes great courage and strength. It is more than just knowing what you want, it is having the strength of character to stand up to adversity and be willing to make mistakes. It means you are willing to take the chance and jump into a world that you might not be completely sure of. Will you succeed? Who knows, but is what you want worth taking the chance? 

In life, it is never too late to dream. And it is never, ever too late to begin acting on your dreams. You will probably never be the President, or an astronaut, or a sports star, or a Broadway star. You will probably never see your name in lights. But is this any reason to forsake a dream that we could actually attain? Is the fear that we won't be famous enough to win out over what we really want?Are you willing to take the chance for something that could be greater than you have now? Are you willing to take that risk? Are you willing to fall and get back up again?