Here are Six dreams that I have for my life.
I came onto this idea of dreams while reading Kim Scott’s ‘Radical Candor’ for work. There’s one section in particular that really spoke to me. In this section, Scott discusses ways that managers can pull more honest answers out of their direct reports. One of the key things that she suggests is asking each person about their dreams, and not just from this job, but from life in general. Scott tells the story of a time she’d done this and received ‘I want to run a spirulina farm’ as an answer. It got me thinking about my own life and the dreams that I have for my own life.
It got me thinking that I should try to make a list of dreams for myself, some that are achievable and some that maybe aren’t. Some that are small, and some that extend out into something bigger. Here are the 6 dreams I could think of.
Become a novelist
I love writing. It’s one of my favourite forms of creative expression and writing novels is always something that I wished I could do regularly. I think I’d love to have a nice little home with a cozy writing nook where I could structure and plot and edit my creative thoughts into literary gold that someone out there would publish and promote and share with readers all over the world. I’d go to the farmers market on Sundays and talk to the locals and secretly gather new ideas into my mental Rolodex for use in later novels, which would send me all over North America to promote and meet my fans. That is one of my dreams.
While this dream is technically attainable, it’s not actually realistic for the life I’d like to live for myself. Yes, I could just take a risk and start writing novels, polishing my craft until that dream became a reality. I have the resources to do this, I have the know-how to learn any of the skills and processes that I’m currently lacking. But, for this dream to become a reality, I would have to sacrifice the dream that I’m currently working to fulfill and that’s not something I’m willing to do. Maybe, once I’ve become satisfied with my current career, I would be more willing to take this leap into the novelist profession, but I don’t expect that will happen any time soon for me, or maybe even at all. I think I’m satisfied with never realizing this dream for myself.
Live in walking distance to a fruit vendor
I don’t really know when this dream came into existence, but I’ve known for a while now that I’d be so grateful if I could live in walking distance of a cute little fruit shop. If I could wake up in the morning and go grab some fresh fruit to juice or make into a smoothie. If I could just grab a few apples for the dessert I suddenly decided to make. Right now, I’m in a transitional place in life, not knowing where I’ll end up living a few months from now, but visiting my friends in the city and staying over at their place, I feel truly alive when I can just go for a walk and see bright, local fruit, ripe and fresh for the picking. Knowing that I could create a relationship with this fruit vendor and that by buying their produce, I’m helping their family to make a living, just as I make mine. That would be an incredible life. And it’s totally attainable.
Work in the field of evolutionary genetics
By this I mean, I would love to research genes and how they have influenced the world we lived in. What happens to animals when genetic drift occurs and slowly one species becomes two. I’d love to be at the forefront of genetic research for animals and plants, informing the world of all these tiny genes have to show us. I think that would be such an exciting life and I really respect anyone who has the skills and abilities to be able to work in this field. I’ve always loved evolution; the dinosaurs, the Galapagos, the wolf vs. the common household pup, but I knew as early as high-school that this wouldn’t be the field for me. I find chemistry confusing and I get bored easily. Don’t even get me started on math or determining patterns. It doesn’t come easy for me and I knew from a young age that I’d never be able to truly excel at a job like that. I’d rather do something that I’m good at, that I enjoy AND that doesn’t make me feel like I have to fight against every fibre of my being. I struggled with chemistry in school and with the more complicated topics in biology. So even though I loved it, and continue to love it and learn more about it in my free time, even to this day, I know that his will always be a far off dream that I’ll never get to hold. And so far, I’m cool with that.
Live in Japan
Here we are, something attainable! I spent a month in Japan last year, living in a dorm and attending the local University. It was probably the best experience of my life so far. I’m still learning Japanese actively and I’d give anything to go back, even just for a short holiday. But what I’d really love more than anything, is if I could live there for a while, even just for a few months. I want to travel in Japan, I want to relax in Japan, I want to get to know the local shops and streets. I want to know the subway lines and try all the street food at the festivals. I want to respect their traditions and learn how I can participate without making a fool of myself. I think, once my career is in a good enough place that I know I have the resume and skills to be able to get work, I’d like to spend more time in Japan and then return to Canada.
Start a Tea shop
This is usually what I tell people when they ask me about my dreams. I usually tell them that when I’ve retired from my regular work, I’d like to be a cute old person with their own tea shop. There’d be a wall full of loose leaf teas that you could stick a toonie in and twist until woosh, the leaves and buds and fruits come out into your teas strainer, ready to be steeped. There’d be a wall of kettle for self-serve, bulk sugar and a milk machine, like the one in Toronto’s Unboxed Market. There’d be a barista tucked around the corner for anyone who wanted a coffee or latte, but everything would be plastic-free. If you want your drink, you’ll have to drink it here. No Take-away. There’d also be study/meeting rooms in the back that are able to be reserved and every once in a while, there’d be a pet day where kitties or doggies can roam around. This is one of those dreams that I know would make me really happy. If I got to the point in my life where I was financially stable enough to open up shop, I’ll know that I’ve made it.
Zero Waste & Active
This is one that I’m actively working on at the moment. I work hard to reduce my waste, but it’s very difficult to avoid garbage given the current state of the world. I’ll keep working hard until the world catches up little by little, doing all that I can and inspiring others in the mean time. The second part of this dream is to be a more active person. I’ve started rock climbing again and I’ll be back into soccer when the season starts in a month. I’m going tree trekking for the first time this weekend. I’ve been trying to associate myself more and more with people who enjoy being active and who prefer to go on a hike to the nearby waterfall over staying in and watching Netflix. I’m still at the start of both my zero waste and my active lifestyle journey, but I make an effort everyday to step a little bit more in the direction of that goal. Maybe a year from now, I’ll be a little better off for having done all this.
I don’t think that I have only these six dreams. As I’m growing and changing the person that I am, the dreams that I have change, and sometimes even fade. Sometimes, a change in my life will prompt a completely new dream. But in the meantime, these are the dreams that I have and the dreams that I wanted to share with you. What dreams do you have? Are they attainable or completely unrealistic? Let me know in the comments below! Have a lovely day!
