Dream With Your Eyes Open
Dreams can be the reality of our tomorrow waiting to be actualized when we take proactive steps
“It was the wildest dream. I was in a capsule the size of a USB coursing through what seemed like the veins of the Earth. I was probably going faster than the speed of light, but I could see images of humanity zooming past me. It was so clear and vivid! I had this sense that it wasn’t only the past, but the present, and future. It all felt so familiar to me. There was no fear, just a familiar warmth much like looking through family photos. But then, instead of breaking into the light like a tunnel, I broke into darkness. And there in front of me, I saw…”
“You saw what?”
“Nothing. It just ended like that…. it was just a dream anyway. Forget it.”
When was the last time you used the word dream? I’m willing to bet it was in this context, describing or explaining a dream you had late one night. Perhaps the dream was something ridiculous or too extravagant to be believable. It was probably closer to a scene out of a science fiction movie than reality.
So the question I want us to ask ourselves is, “When was the last time we used the word dream as a catalyst, a tool for change, or as a subject of inspiration?”
If you uttered the dream aloud would you feel your heart beating faster and faster? If you spoke of it would your face radiate with a smile and joy? When you think of that deep yearning do you sway back and forth, feet tapping, and mind going further into the depth of curiosity and desperation? If you told someone about your dreams were they drawn and captivated neither by eloquence or arrogance, but by your passion and raw desire?
When was the last time your voice held the weight of the word’s true meaning and carried the power to release them into reality?
It seems that by associating the word dream with something we experience in the dead of night, we’ve distanced ourselves from any sort of tangibility a dream can carry. Dreams become something that just happens to us in our unconscious. We’re okay with that as long as they drop by once in a while.
But that isn’t the identity of the word. It’s not fleeting. It’s not momentary. It’s not by accident. And it’s not fake. The dreams we have, both as a child and as a grown adult, are in fact sneak previews of the life we are capable and called to create. They are fully and unequivocally the reality of our tomorrow. The only thing that’s unrealistic about a dream—the only thing about it that is unachievable—is that which we ourselves label as preposterous.
Dream with your eyes open, they may be your calling
When we relegate the vision and the hope we have for ourselves, our families, and our society to random thought or chance, we surrender our ability to lead those transformations and strip this world of one more thing we might have called beautiful.
Our insane burning to change the world, to obliterate the inequalities, and to raise up entire countries? Well, those are all dreams because they could never happen we say. Or how about raising enough money to send your child to school and give your family a better life? What about going back to your home country to see your family? What about escaping the war that ravages your home? What about being able to see crashing waves and feel the breeze of the ocean? Yes, all dreams, but they can also be the reality of our tomorrow waiting to be actualized.
The dreams we have at night are only a small reflection of the dreams we want to make a reality. They are the unconscious and untapped reservoir of ambition, hope, and potential within us asking to be released into this world. You may dream of flying, but maybe you’re meant to rise above a struggle in your life.
Don’t bound yourself with the idea that grand and incomprehensible things are only allowed when our eyes are closed. Don’t be restricted by the “foolishness” of a dream but be interested instead. Don’t be scared by the enormity of your ambition but fan the flame to make it even greater.
Open your eyes, and keep them open, because your dreams may be your calling.
If you like this, check out Anthony’s other writing at ARichJourney.com
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