Having Big Dreams Can Sometimes Be a Blessing or a Curse
Am I making it? Or it’s just an illusion?
There are times I wish I don’t dream too big.
Because if things get derailed and plans had to change, which everyone will face in their lives, dealing with the disappointment is hard.
I’m sure we’ve all been there. Where we dreamed to achieve something, and after some time, we realized the reality is a whole lot different and our expectations and reality did not meet. That’s when our eyes opened.
I’m not saying that it’s bad to dream in order to avoid disappointment. But there are also times when our dreams are too big that it’s somewhat crushing us instead.
Most people know me as someone who dreams a lot. It may sound magical at first to others, but I feel like it’s both a blessing and a curse.
The good side of dreaming big
Don’t get me wrong — dreaming of something big for your career is great.
Albert Einstein said it himself:
“Logic will get you from A to Z; imagination will get you everywhere.”
I’m not saying that imagination and dreams are the same, but the two of them seem to come hand in hand. Strong imaginations are what drive most successful people to innovate for the world.
Walt Disney became an animator because he’s got this dream to make a world of entertainment (most probably he was motivated to cheer people up after the dreadful war), Tolkien became a writer because he’s got a cool story about Middle Earth, and Elon Musk got a big dream for mankind to get to Mars, and many more.
Needless to say, these types of people inspired me to do the same.
During and after college, I had this dream to build a freelance profile and be involved in the cinema/film business, still do. So I took a job in the cinema industry and freelance here.
It was going really well.
I met a lot of people I admire, I learned a lot about the industry, and I was really enjoying the job. I thought I would stay there for another couple of years.
That is until I tried getting into marketing where I originally wanted to be, and the pandemic happened.
All my plans got derailed, and it happened more than once.
And this is the part where I want to talk about, the other side of dreaming big.
The sad side of dreaming big
There’s a saying:
“Man plans, God laughs.”
Whether you are religious or not, we’ve all experienced plans that derailed elsewhere.
Because of these constant habits of having big dreams that becomes your “only” goal in life you want to achieve and if you don’t get it, you’d be depressed and disappointed.
And just like everyone else, the expectation in our heads may sometimes did not meet the reality we are facing. And that’s when the questioning starts.
The truth is, reality is a lot different than it seems. The term “the grass is not always greener on the other side” plays a lot here. Because the result we expect just seems either off or way off or it rose up and went off again like a roller coaster again and again, that’s when the frustration begins.
And after that, the disappointment emerges and could sometimes cloud our hopes of reaching that goal at all.
That’s the scary part.
How long do you hope to get to that dream? And are you able to hold onto the ‘bitter end’ to get there?
Then, that dream that you’re trying to achieve could also shrouded with uncertainties that may sometimes lead to disappointment and feeling like a failure or stupid.
“Am I making it?” “
Am I crazy for doing this like what people said?”
“Should I just quit and do something else?”
That’s the question I sometimes asked myself.
During these past years, my plans derailed and I got frustrated for rechanging my plans because I had to crumple my plan and make a new one again. Even now, I am reshaping my plan, but it’s stuck.
My dreams would sometimes change after seeing the reality and would modify/change them, and believe me it’s sometimes disheartening when we have to accept that we didn’t ‘make it’.
So at the moment, I’m doing what I can first.
I don’t know much about what will happen in the future as there are uncertainties, but I’m hoping and praying for the best.
Does that mean that we shouldn’t dream?
No, we still have to keep dreaming.
The other day, my cousin told me a dream about how he wanted to live abroad and work there. So in order to reach that dream/goal, he took the initiative to take courses online, change his attitude, and learn a lot more than he used to.
That day, I saw the little boy in him had finally grown. And I was so proud of him.
Having a dream and goal let you cut out the BS in the world and start thinking about what’s good for yourself.
No matter how small or big the dreams are, they are the ones helping you guide your life destination.
So, no. Don’t stop dreaming.
Yes, there will be disappointments along the way. But the outcome will make you appreciate all the hard times you went through.
And so, having big dreams can sometimes be a blessing and a curse.
You get a sense of energy and motivation to make that dream come true, but on the other hand, the obstacles can be a pain on your side that could lead to heartbreak and disappointment.
But that’s the deal when having big dreams. It’s a packet.
And if/when the outcome is successful, it’s a whole new perspective.
So, keep dreaming, dreamers!! Don’t give up!
