The Art of Staying True to One’s Dreams
Significant Actions and Steps in the Journey of a Dreamer
People care for their dreams. But on the pathway to their dreams, they hold back a bit too much. A true dream is worth pursuing in its full intensity and it can be defined in a multitude of ways. People may have that one passionate dream or a dozen small ones. People may have varied goals and ambitions. In certain cases, these goals or dreams might be tied to a professional designation. If one cares about that particular pathway or what the designation has to offer in terms of work and fulfillment, that is fine and worth pursuing.
But not every dream is defined in just the professional sense or in terms of a designation. Certain dreams are vaguer by definition and nature. For someone, their dream might be to live a simple life. For someone else, a dream might be to do something grand. It depends on the priorities.
Again there are dreams that may be aligned with the creative path or the artistic path, sliding from the conventional route. And the result or the end goal mightn’t be immediately or objectively clear in these cases. Or these might be different for everyone. If one wants to be a writer, what is their end goal? Do they want to see their own name on a book cover? Do they want to write just for the sake of it without caring for a particular result? Both the answers and the questions would be different. But whatever it is they want they would have to be clear about it. And once they have the clarity, they would need to find ways to stay true to that dream.
What are the ways for staying true to one’s dreams? What are the ways that are common to every true dreamer? Because no matter what one’s dreams are, if one really want to hold on to them the first thing one can do is —
1. To Be an Active Dreamer
When people say that they have cared for their dreams, it is important to ask them in what way they have done that. Have they been active in their caring process or have they been a little passive? Because no matter how many bigger plans get made, or great ideas churn through, when one hasn’t done much in relation to their dreams or passions in a practical manner, they are still passive in many ways.
Stories and real-life lessons have always implied how doing is greater than thinking. It’s necessary to curtail the excess of planning and plotting because these don’t necessarily facilitate the action. To truly act, to invoke the process of doing in real life, would need real deliberation. At times it might need tremendous effort. In the beginning, it’s okay to pause and curate one’s thoughts. But one needs to see what they can really do. There are always those initial small steps that everyone can take and need. As is always the case, these small steps would lead to bigger ones.
Let’s picture a moody artist who makes a dash into his art pads only when he is inspired. It would be long enough before he can finish even one drawing. To make things work professionally, and to draw in the power of momentary luck, he would have to be a little regular at the least. That little regularity would set the momentum. Before long he might have been creating larger masterpieces, leading him to engage with his art in a more fulfilled way.
Thus that one step is the initiator of the next few steps. One can continue to make plans even in the midst of an act. However mere planning and waiting might make one wait indefinitely, such that when opportunities arise they wouldn’t be ready even.
2. Another Way to Hold On to One’s Dreams Is to Figure Out If It’s Really One’s Dream and Stop Hopping From Path to Path
There are times when people fail to keep track of what’s theirs and what’s not. That is, they might be a little influenced even in regard to their passions. There’s a culture on the rise that influences the mob in seconds without effort and makes them change their courses or paths quite easily. People have to check what aligns with their hearts. They shouldn’t just stick to the casual whims that outlast in a few days. Having different interests is okay. But not every interest has to be pursued professionally.
Sometimes people are attached to their designations more than the work behind the designation. Society fuels children from early on about the highly donned professions. There’s nothing wrong with pursuing these. But children should be allowed their own space and time to realize what’s worth. So that they can form fresh opinions and not plunge into something that’s highly revered by society for superfluous reasons. There are varied ways to live a life. And people can witness the picture of their core wants and strengths if they withdraw from needless influences, listen to their heart, and see where it leads.
That is to see for themselves what their dream feels like. That dream is worth pursuing if they are too consumed by it, or cannot keep themselves from thinking about it or loving the work associated with it. If writing is someone’s passion, they might find themselves thinking about it continually, or scribbling a few snippets of their thoughts in their journals. It would bring them natural joy and a chance at bliss. This won’t be the case if one just goes after the societal dream, or chases superfluous things that a designation might bring.
3. The True Route of Staying True to One’s Dreams Is Pursuing It Despite the Obstacles
The disbelief, the ridicule, and the understatement from other people are always going to be there. And it’s inevitable that when one cares about something too much, they might feel the pressure of others not looking at it the same way they do. Because everyone cannot relate to everything. Others might not understand it and start forming assumptions of their own. It isn’t always their direct fault. It isn’t intentional at times.
People judge the thing that eludes their understanding. And it is important to stay neutral and not go personal on those occasions. What one needs to do is show up and create, evading the pressure of these judgments or sometimes even harsh ridicule. The importance of one’s work, and its value is known and understood by them. That should matter. And chances are one would find their true supporters. And even if they don’t, they have their greatest supporter which is themselves.
4. True Passion Cannot Be Dissociated From the Fact That One Pursues It Even at the Cost of Not Achieving Tangible Results Very Soon
Because the nature of the results is flimsy or vague. And results don’t determine the true worth of a thing. Lest a dream. That is, even if someone works hard they may not get the desired results. And the results aren’t always defined. As mentioned at the beginning of this work, if someone is a writer, does their work involve only getting published in magazines? Do the publications determine what a good writer should be? Or do the rejections say that they are frail? Good writing might also be subjective. And the results might also depend on the pursuer. What are the essential results according to that person?
And sometimes results take a lot of time. The time itself isn’t defined. Sometimes one may go on working at something, brooding over their craft for years, even when it doesn’t bring them money or societal validation. Why do some artists continue to hone their craft at the expense of living a frugal life? Because it brings them far greater gifts. The wealth of creativity. The pleasure of creating things of beauty. And history also speaks of instances when the efforts do pay off at the end.
Pursuing a thing wholeheartedly with effort and continuity opens new doors, and procures access through impenetrable boundaries, allowing the craft and the craftsman to carve a space of their own that’s beyond the superfluous joys.
5. Loving Our Dreams Is a Must but Letting It Reside in a Free Space Is a Necessity One Overlooks
One needs to send it some love every day, letting go of the stress and the pressure. Let one’s dream reside in free space. Let it grow in its own space and time. It might sound a bit vague and flowery but how many times has one forcefully chased something only to find it drifting away from them?
It’s necessary to take a step back and not fret over results. Even when the goals have been set and the targets marked on calendars, let us do our work while bowing our heads. A little bit of detachment could do wonders and hone one’s existing love for their dream. But too much pressure might constrict their hearts, allowing it to not feel pure emotion towards it
6. A Dream Shouldn’t Stop One From Doing the Rest of the Things
Or stop them from living life. People are at times consumed by their desires in a negative way. They might feel like their life is over if they don’t have that dream. But here too, they aren’t truly aligned with love. They are churning negativity. Growing whiny and morose with time. This won’t let a dream grow. If it doesn’t happen, maybe it wasn’t meant to, or maybe it wasn’t their dream. It’s important to introspect a little.
And a life cannot ever be over if something doesn’t happen, or a wish doesn’t get fulfilled. Staying true to our dreams means also caring about the rest of the things life has to offer so that we get inspiration from these to move forward with our passions. Maybe a different interest would lead one to their current dream. Or one might find a variation of their current dream in a different form. As a way of example, we take a person who ideally drew portraits, who then stumbled upon the art of illustration, which is though not exactly similar to portrait drawing still a form of art, and it is the thing that ultimately gives him the desired success. Combining similar passions or similar types of work helps.
7. Enriching One’s Life With That Dream. Taking It Wherever They Go
For the sake of practicality, people have to do things they don’t like or spend hours in a job they don’t want to do because it aids them to earn money. One may not have all the hours in the world to work for their dream but they can still cultivate time to pursue it. If someone has a lot of hours they are lucky. But most of people are tied to their strenuous jobs. Or even if they aren’t bogged down by their jobs, they hold a varied amount of responsibilities and duties. But people make time for the things that are a priority. If one truly cares for something they will set aside the hours for it.
One of my favorite writers, Elizabeth Gilbert, who is an advocate of creative living, emphasizes this idea of working for one’s creative passion while doing the rest of the things one needs to do like a job or a duty. When she wasn’t a popular writer, she was still actively writing while being involved in menial jobs.
8. Working on Those Tiny Obstacles or Habits Is a Priority in Many Cases
Again the topic of action is relevant in this context. But here it’s the little actions that have been emphasized. The big ones have their own space, but as opposed to these it’s the little actions that hold us back. It’s that tiny flaw or that mark on a white background.
It is like Brian Tracy says in his book ‘Eat the Frog’, that sometimes while working on our strengths we must also strive to work on that one single flaw that is causing all the problems. We mightn’t be aware but the big plans are getting continuously stalled because of it. And even if we aren’t able to completely eliminate the flaw, we might be able to work at it to reduce its intensity. For example, if we are doing everything well in the case of a project, but not working on our flaw of procrastination, our work might get prolonged for months and significant things would be put on hold.
For the one who has a great dream, but hasn’t done much actively in procuring it, the hurt would be enormous. For the one who does not take to the road of their heart’s want, regret is ready to play its part later. People subconsciously waste time but they are still dreamers by definition of it. The possibilities that they hold in their hearts, that eagerness and strength signify that their dreams matter. But the idea is to stay true to them. And staying true to something requires action. The fulfillment of a dream isn’t in people’s hands. But actions are.
And as they say, it’s always more worthwhile to fail while trying and knowing that we played our part. Because the regret of not giving our best effort clings to us. Hence let us evade the woes of regret and hone our best efforts in our work, our duties, and our passions. Let everyday life witness our full-fledged zeal and our sincere full-blown actions.
