“Follow Your Dreams”: Easier Said Than Done. Here’s What You Should Do First
Follow a self-discovery path.
“Follow your dreams. Bla Bla Bla”. Once again a quote in my social media feed this week.
I get it; this narrative seems inspiring, but what does it imply?
What if I don’t know what my dreams are… yet?
What if “having a dream” is in itself a journey with twists and turns, a rollercoaster with cycles of construction, deconstruction, and reconstruction?
I vividly remember, as a child, having this idea that “I had a mission.” I had no clue what that meant, but that thought was in my mind since I was probably 5 or 6 years old. Occasionally, I would wake up at night and experience mini panic attacks, and I remember telling myself: “Well, I can’t die because I have a mission.” Then the fear would quickly fade as I was reaching my parents’ bed and peacefully fell asleep, reassured by their presence and warmth.
Mainly through my twenties and early thirties, I had lost this sense of purpose: I was “busy,” focusing on professional growth, relationships, and financial stability. At 33, I was “at the top of my game”: fast-track career, a lovely flat with no mortgage to pay, and about to get married. On the surface, I was “living the dream.”
