In my job I get to talk on a very personal level to 10-20 men and women, boys and girls, every day. Quite naturally, we often talk about work. It usually goes like this:
- So what do you do?
- I’m a carpenter/plumber/salesman/nurse.
- Okay, and you’re happy with that?
- Sure, I’ve done it for 5/20/40 years.
- Yeah then I suppose you must be happy or you should’ve changed a long time ago!
(both laugh)
Another, almost as frequent dialogue, is this one:
- So what do you do?
- I’m unemployed right now.
- Okay, so what kind of jobs are you looking for?
- Oh, I don’t know. Any kind.
- Okay… but what do you want to work with?
- I don’t care. Anything.
- If you could do anything, don’t worry about education or physical abilities and so on, but if you could do ANYTHING in the whole wide world, anything at all, what would it be? What’s your dream job?
- I don’t know. Whatever.
- But you must have a dream? Where would you be, what would you do if you could choose… I mean… what’s your dream scenario? What’s your wildest, craziest dream?
- Uh… I don’t know. I don’t care.
- BUT YOU MUST HAVE A DREAM?! I’m not gonna judge you, I don’t care if you want to be a rock star or a rocket scientist or a dolphin rider, but you must have a dream!
- No, I don’t know. I guess not.
This scares me.
I’m not saying that my way is the only way or even the right way, but here’s the deal: I have always had dreams. Always. I’ve wanted to be a samaritan, a ballet dancer, a figure skater, a veterinarian, a dog breeder, a movie star, a fashion model, an artist, an author, a journalist, a doctor, a make up artist, a homeopath… and those are only a few. I’ve wanted to live in Stockholm, Los Angeles, New York, Paris, Italy. I’ve wanted to be famous. I’ve wanted to be rich. I’ve wanted to live where the sun always shines. Et cetera.
I can’t even imagine a life without dreams. I can’t imagine what it’s like. What goes on in your head? What causes this? Is it lack of imagination, disbelief in yourself…???
Your dreams don’t have to be the same as mine. I want to be wealthy, famous and live in sunny Italy, and if I got the chance I’d gladly take a trip to the moon. I dream big, but I suppose that “big dreams” means different things to different people. Or…. No. There is a difference between the realistic dreams (get a job, buy a house, be happy) and the wild dreams (marry Oprah, swim across the Atlantic, have a country named after you). I might make money, I will find a way to live in Italy, but I will never walk on the moon or become Julia Roberts. It just won’t happen, and I’m okay with that. Wild dreams are not supposed to come true. Nevertheless, you still have to have them. Don’t you?
What’s your dream?
Oh my goodness, do I have dreams! I’ve always had dreams, for as long as I can remember. First, I was going to be an ice skater. My mom drove me an hour after school every week so I could take lessons. I’m not sure what happened to that, but my next dream was to be an actress. I was going to be very famous and live in the Dynasty house!
There were many more, but I just had surgery a few days ago, and I don’t feel up to typing all that much.
I still have dreams, of course. I think it’s sad that you speak to so many people who don’t have any. I think dreams are one of the best parts of being alive – imagining what’s possible!
Last week, I took this quiz of some sort, and it asked me for my dream job. Without batting an eyelash, I automatically typed in “working from home.” And then I paused and realized that’s what I’m currently doing. And that was a time when I was a bit tired about work. Thinking about it now, as much as my current occupation bores me at times, hands down it’s still a job that I would pick over other higher paying jobs.
But yes, I dream, and I dream a lot. I dream of traveling around the world one day
I’ve had many unrealistic dreams in the past.
My dreams now all consist of enough wealth for us to travel & follow the sun, never to live in winter if I don’t want to, not having to work. For a healthy life with no complications for all my family. For my love with Eddie to be eternal, nothing seperating us.
Simple dreams
I’ve been thinking about dreams, goals, plans lately as well, but I do know quite a few people who simply live day to day, not letting their minds get too far in front of them. I think it comes from a concept of limited opportunities–some of us may know that deep down maybe our opportunities are limited too, but then we do the things we want to do anyway.
Call it romantic, idealistic, stubborn, arrogant, or plain stupid, but I couldn’t have it any other way
I gues I have the biggest dream of all. One day I want to look back to my life and be able to say that I am neither ashamed of anything I have ever done nor sorry I haven’t dome things I wanted to do.
l am a dreamer and l will say that it is because of my dreams that l have had so many wonderful adventures. l couldnt imagine being any other way. So right now l have started or will l say expanded another dream and its like a breath of fresh air!
i went from being an idealistic person with BIG dreams, to discouraged and frustrated with NO dreams… its a very sad and depressing place to be. i really hope that zest for life i once had comes back to me! (slowly, but surely…)
ps. love your blog!
My dream is to move to Italy next year and write.
I just posted about this the other day. Some comments were so negative regarding Italy, I started to question my sanity for wanting to move there. However, I feel like I have to try at least once or I will always regret it.