Why is it that so many people fail to follow their dreams? Often I hear people say that a particular dream is “not realistic.” But isn’t that the whole point of a dream?
Our dreams are rooted in our fantasies and our aspirations. Our dreams embody all that we hope for and sometimes what we fear, don’t forget dreams can be bad too. But dreams are never meant to be real. Our dreams are where the impossible is commonplace; where that which we don’t fully understand becomes real, at least in our minds.
People kill their dreams when they try to force the laws and rules of reality upon them. But what is a good night’s sleep without the release of our dreams? What do we live for except our dreams? How can we hope to become more than we are without the reckless belief in that which is not yet tangible?
Dreams are always unfinished.
When I talk to people who are just starting down the road of photography I try to relate how important dreams are to your vision. If you want to make money, become a banker I say. There are many more ways to earn a living, almost all of them less frustrating and more secure. But if your dream is to change the way that people see the world around them then you should become a photographer.
At a certain point in life most people walk away from their dreams. Often life intervenes but sometimes we say to ourselves “this is impossible” and close the door to what might make us happy. The thing about a dream is that you never know how it is going to end. Some people can’t live with that kind of uncertainty. Some people would rather lead a circumscribed life and feel safe in the belief that something more fulfilling or interesting just could never be. Others want to feel the roll of that uncharted sea and steer the ship of their lives on a course that may not be plotted but will be interesting…
