What Does It Mean, To Chase A Dream?
Is dream-chasing a practice of faith in life’s great mystery?
What does it mean to chase a dream? A chase hints at desperation: I think of X-Factor contestants who feel they have a God-given talent, only to open their mouths and insult Simon Cowell. What separates the deluded from those who find success after multiple setbacks, because they didn’t stop believing?
All dream-chasing contains a seed of delusion, but at what cost? The chase implies the dream is moving away, that if you don’t follow, it’ll disappear. Perhaps the chase is the ego’s attempt to make a dream a raison de vivre, or a way of feeling worthy or special.
I’ve been chasing a dream for years. It’s a borderline obsession. I’ve felt flow, joy, affirmation, alignment, abundance, open doors. I’ve also confronted rejection after rejection, failed projects, and a constant juggling of priorities. Many times I feel like giving up. And I might. For a while.
But then I feel the pull of something and I return to the work, muttering under my breath how this is the last time. I surrender to the process. I let go of expectations and have gratitude for the dream for adding colour to life. Then I am no longer chasing a dream, I’m carried by it.
