“To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.”
- Anatole France, French poet, journalist, and novelist
One of the casualties of adulthood and all of its responsibilities is the tendency to abandon dreams. It seems as though somewhere in our 30s we begin to submit to the overwhelmingly practical, setting aside the audacious dreams we so easily traded in as kids.
Pragmatic compromise is natural, of course, but I wonder if the degree to which we trade-in big dreaming for fighting fires isn’t a bit extreme. Why are we content to cash in all our dreams when the biggest ones become unrealistic or out of reach?
Yes, there’s much to appreciate in the simple pleasures of companionship, parenthood, and creating a comfortable life. But without kindling a dream which fuels some excitement, what animates us? Michelangelo, the famous Renaissance artist is quoted as saying, “The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we hit it.”
Even if you are content with your life, I’d ask you today to search yourself and see if there isn’t some dream which you’ve shelved in your past. Even if it seems too lofty, is there some part of it, some bit of its DNA which might inspire you to find a reasonable dream to pursue? What if you admitted this reasonable dream into your life, gradually setting goals for moving closer to its realization? Might it stoke your zeal in all things?
We are all looking for new sources of energy, new ways to keep the game of life interesting. Donate a little dream time to yourself this week and see what you turn up.
