The CORRECT Reason To Actually Chase Those “Colossal” Dreams
For dreams that are so big, they’re basically impossible
About a month ago, I watched the movie Nyad. It’s an inspiring true story about long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad and her decades-in-the-making goal of swimming nonstop from Cuba to Florida. Not only does the movie tackle the physicality of the feat, but also the challenges behind having to be so bullheaded to make it happen. Doing something as massive as swimming for three days straight in open waters amongst sharks, storms, and poisonous jellyfish requires a different kind of character.
Most of us aren’t like Diana Nyad in this respect, but what we all do share with her is the tendency to dream big in life. However, because these dreams are so big and, sometimes, seemingly impossible, many of us tuck them away. Hmmm…running a marathon in all fifty states. Starring in a movie— what if that was me? Rebuilding a relationship with my estranged Aunt Theresa…
Pluck that dream out right now. Don’t be embarrassed about it.
Think about it, write it down — because I’m going to convince you in the next 600 words the real reason why YES, you should pursue them.
It’s Not About Actually Achieving the Dream
Hold on — what? This doesn’t sound very life coach-y.
Yes. That’s right. Let’s look at an example of a “massive dream” to see what I mean.
You’ve just entered college and have dreamed about playing in the NBA for a long time. However, you only made it to the JV squad in your high school career. Your college also isn’t a Division I school. All signs point to saying, “Forget it.”
But pretend you forget about all of these factors and tell yourself that you’re going to do the impossible. You’re going to have a One Punch Man kind of basketball workout and just become the absolute best baller you can be. You get your vision board out, you talk to coaches, you network, you become active in the space in every way you can…
And things start to fray. You try out for your college team your freshman year and don’t make it. You find that transferring to a Division I school is unaffordable. Things happen, life gets tough, and you feel the dream slipping away before your eyes. The NBA draft comes, and the kids getting chosen are over 6'5" and have some kind of connection already to the NBA — family, friends, etc. Why bother continuing?
Well, so long as you actually like playing basketball, you are making headway towards a life meant for you. Things are happening behind the scenes, but keep an open mind that it may not be a place in the NBA. See, all of that hardcore practicing you’ve been doing caught the attention of a cute girl who’s been mustering the courage to ask you out. The basketball guys you’ve been networking with have connections to leagues elsewhere in the world — yes, there isn’t just the NBA out there. You and your friend decide to create TikTok videos of you making cool slam dunks, which all start going viral and getting the attention of the basketball world.
In the end, you may not actually play in the NBA. But what you do have may be the new love of your life, new friends, new people, and a connection to basketball that you didn’t dream was possible — had you not pursued the dream in the first place.
The Real Point of Following Dreams
Looking at this NBA example, what can we learn?
We learn that it’s all a matter of reframing the dream. A dream is a catalyst for something, not an endgame. The final result may be what you dreamt about in the first place — it’s happened to millions of people before. Why not you?
But in reality, putting into action the dreams that you want to achieve actually takes you down roads you never thought were there. Dreams change and sometimes even become new dreams altogether. The signs that you’ve actually achieved a dream are not going to be what you expect because the process of getting there has changed you so much that you come to gain new values and insights into the world.
On that note — let’s pretend that you do make it to the NBA. Look up Naz Reid, who joined the Minnesota Timberwolves after being undrafted. What’s Naz Reid’s life like? Pretty awesome, yes, but it’s also his normal. The dream of playing in the NBA is no longer this ephemeral daydream. It’s real life, it’s the present — it’s going to practices, games, press junkets, etc. A dream ceases to be a dream the minute it actually becomes real — that goes against its definition entirely.
Dreams are meant to die. However, the act of pursuing them leads you to life changes you never thought were possible. This is why we have dreams. This is really why we should follow them.
So, keep dreaming.
