The Dreams You Have Allowed To Die

There was a time in our lives when we had dreams. Some dream of going to the moon. Some dream of flying airplanes. Some dream of building businesses. Some dream of building buildings. Some dream of travelling the world. I believe that at some point in life everyone had dreams. Not just dreams but great big dreams.

Personally my dreams were to be a businessman, and also to be a pilot. I held on to them until about 17 years of age. I then went to college, studied marketing, graduated, and stepped into the “rat race.” I basically took a shovel, dug a hole, threw my dreams in it, and buried them; allowing them to die a slow agonizing death.

[ But despite having done so many things, bought so many things, and ate so many things; I felt dead inside… ]

I then put all my focus and energy into a hospitality career, followed by a career in sales and marketing. I ran the “rat race” the way Usain Bolt ran when he broke the world sprinting record back in August 2009. I worked hard and played hard. I bought luxury cars, expensive collectible watches, traveled like crazy, dined mainly at expensive restaurants till they know us by name, etc.

Days of the “rat race:” Me at the World Casting Championships in Guangzhou, China together with participants from China and Japan. I was not there to participate but for a meeting.

To most people I was living the life. But I felt empty. I didn’t know why I was feeling unfulfilled inside. The more I felt empty, the more things I decided to do. But despite having done so many things, bought so many things, and ate so many things; I felt dead inside. Something was eating me alive from the inside out. It came to a point where I starting thinking about death, and in a negative way.

Days of the “rat race:” Kick Off sales meeting at the Marriot Hotel in South Carolina, USA. Hanging out with Hank Parker, well known professional bass angler and host of outdoor television shows.

An incident that happened in my office gave me a jolt. I was getting ready to go for lunch when suddenly I felt like a boxer had punched me hard in the chest. I collapsed on my knees, but being the macho man that I was, I held on to a cubical separator at the office, pulled myself right back up, and made my way back to my chair. To cut a long story short, at the hospital my doctor spoke to me about stress and life. It wasn’t a heart attack but it was a wakeup call for me. My doctor made sure I understood that.

After this incident I dug out those old dreams of mine, bringing them back from the dead, and started doing something about them. I couldn’t become a commercial pilot because of my eyesight (back then one needed 20/20 sight). I was not good in math either. This dream of mine is still on hold. Not to be a commercial pilot but a personal or rather private pilot. I decided to start a business. So, I left my job and did just that. I have been a businessman since then; 2012. I feel more alive these days.

If I did not take heed of the wake up call and start working on my dreams, what would have been left would only be shadows of a person who could have lived his dreams.

Now, What About You

Okay, that was my life story. My question to you is what are your dreams?

If you’ve dug a hole and buried them some time ago, I want you to know this; those dreams of yours are not dead. They will not die until you die. Those dreams of yours are still right where you left them. They are waiting for you to go dig them up and do something about them. If ever you had this feeling of being unfulfilled, unsatisfied, or seem to have something you feel you need to do but you do not know what that something is. That something could very well be your dreams.

Understand this. We have a mind that is all about making sense. We think with it. This mind runs on what we see and believe as commonsense. Then we have the other mind. The mind that does not work on sense. The mind whose sole purpose is to keep us alive. That mind runs on programs. Programs picked up through experiences, emotions, beliefs, etc. This mind is called the subconscious mind.

How Do Both These Minds Affect Our Lives?

Good question this is. Perhaps to help me explain this, and to help you understand better, think about this. Let’s just say that your dream is to travel the world.

First what the heart wants…

The dream is to travel the world. To see different places. To experience different countries cultures, and learn about different way of living. To expand the mind from a local mind, to a global mind. To live life and explore this planet that we call home. Just sit back, close your eyes and feel all the wonderful things you get when you travel the world. Feel, feel, and feel.

If your dream is to travel the world, why not do it?

Next what the mind thinks…

To travel the world what do you need? You need a passport. You need money. Lots of money. You need courage to go to unknown places. You may need to leave your friends and family members behind for long periods of time. Ok, just sit back and think what else you will need. Think also about what your friends and family members will think about you. Think also about your job. Will you still have one when you return. Think, think, and think.

Now, notice that while deep inside you, you want to travel the world and experience planet Earth; your mind is telling you something along the lines of “sure, but what about money? What about your job? No job, no money? What would friends and family members say? Will they support my idea or shoot it down? Why would they shoot it down? Could it be that they are envious if I were to do this? Would they hate me for doing this? What is more important? My financial goals or my dream of travelling the world?”

Your dreams are worth working on whatever they are.

Even if I did not tell you to think about all these things, such thoughts will appear in your mind because your subconscious mind goes into an emergency mode. It stops and says “ok, this is something new. It is not in sync with the current available programs. Let’s play the precaution program.” Suddenly all these self-doubting questions start filling your head. Self-talk perhaps. Some people call it a “reality” check.

That is how both these minds affect your life. Your prefrontal cortex is all about commonsense or what you believe to be commonsense. Your subconscious mind is all about programs. Hence when you try to go after your dreams, your subconscious mind does everything in its power to stop you from giving up your job, your friends, etc. Its job is to keep you alive and live within your norm. It does so by playing programs and your conscious mind picks them up, and gets you thinking.

Your dreams give your life meaning. It makes your journey of life a significant one.

So, What Can You Do To Start Working On Your Dreams?

The Power of What Ifs…

The first thing to do is to start working on your mind. A reprogramming is needed. A change in deep seated beliefs is needed. You can do so by writing down all these doubts in your mind. Write down everything that is stopping you from working on your dreams. Then answer all of them with what ifs.

Example: What about money?

Yes, what about money? What if you don’t really need a lot of money to travel the world? What if there are things that can be done that will allow you to travel the world, even for free?

Here is another example: What if I don’t have a job anymore after I have done my journey?

What if you don’t need that job anyway? What if because of the experience you’ve gained on your journey you find a job that you really like? What if you find that job on your travel?

[ I want you to live a happy, satisfied, and fulfilled life. Don’t allow your dreams to die… ]

Amongst all the what ifs you can ask yourself, the biggest and most powerful what if question is this; what if you die next month?

Think about this, if you die next month…. What will your job mean to you then? What would not working on your dreams mean? What would you have missed out on?

Watch this music video by One Republic. Listen to the words of the narrator (the boy) and the lyrics. This video may give help change your life.

Well, I hope to have given you a jolt with this article. My wish for you is that you start working on your dreams if you have not started doing so yet. I want you to live a happy, satisfied, and fulfilled life. Don’t allow your dreams to die. They won’t anyway. If you need help or guidance, do reach out to me. Have an awesome life.

Sources:

Photos by Phil Foo (Escapy Travel Magazine and The Angler Magazine)

Video: One Republic – Youtube

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