Dreams & Aspirations: What Happens to a Dream Deferred
A Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
Our dreams, aspirations, or what’s in our heart center is what we’ve been put on this Earth to do. A dream inspires you, challenges you, allows you to serve the world and make the money you deserve and desire. When we don’t act on or pursue our dreams we become resentful. Resentful of others living their dreams, resenting ourselves for being lazy, and sometimes the resentment is so overwhelming we completely shut down and don’t pursue our dreams & aspirations at all. It's a sad place to be.
The last thing you want is to get to the end of your life and wonder “what if.” What if I would have went back to school, broken up with him/her, moved to another state, tried a new cuisine, took that sewing class, volunteered at the soup kitchen, wrote that book, went to that audition, made that call... Well, you might have discovered a passion, hidden talent, met new people, got a new job, and overall experienced something new, exciting, fun and unknown to you, you then could have shared those experiences with others and inspired them.
Like the above poem, a dream deferred is a heavy load to carry. The load gets even heavier when you see those you deem to be less talented or worthy living their dreams and making great money doing it. Meanwhile you’re in a dead end job, relationship or other toxic experience. Use this feeling to propel you forward. It’s been proven that talent does not equal success. Less talented people have had far better success than talented people because they went (took action) after their dream. While other, more talented people sat around waiting for LA Reid or some other high ranking executive/founder/CEO to come to them.
{Related} Confidence: How Confident Are You? http://bit.ly/1kqrIE5
When I moved to NYC I had dreams of becoming a huge actor, I mean HUGE. With my face on Time Square billboards, you know an Oscar winner, and I still believe that will happen. The difference between then and now was action. Previously my only action in pursuit of that dream was walking around the Upper East Side of New York City in hopes that I’d run into Steven Spielberg and be offered a role, my breakout role, my $15 million dollar per picture role on the spot. 11 years later I still haven't met Steven, that hasn’t materialized yet. What did happen was my aha! moment. I looked fear in the face and said Bitch, You're Trying It! When you really get sick and tired of the excuses you give yourself for living a mediocre life you start getting really real within. I finally stepped out of fear or rather stepped into it. The fear of being rejected, the fear of auditioning, the fear of people not liking me and I took things one at a time. I was no longer willing to let my dreams die. The momentum I have built in the pursuit of my dream has paid off. I’ve taken acting workshops, met other actors and built friendships, done an Off-Broadway play, and Off-Off Broadway sketch comedy, I even starred in my first indie film. All of these things happened within my first year of committing to myself.
So don’t let your dreams continue to defer. You can have as many dreams as you want just waiting for their opportunity, sow all the seeds and get ready for the harvest.
Tomorrow - Dreams & Aspirations: Figuring Out Your Dreams
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