Dreams Versus Wishes

When we are young, we all have dreams. There is not a child who has lived who has not dreamed at some point, regardless of how brief the opportunity. Tragically, depending on where one is born, a child’s opportunity or even ability to dream can be snatched from within them before they ever have a chance to take steps forward on it. This is a problem in the world that must be faced head on, with a vitality of purpose and strength of persistence that is due any other problem in the world.

As much as that is a topic worth writing and talking about, this particular blog post focuses on something different. All too often, we get caught up in our wishes for a better, brighter life and find it tempting to simply float away on this mental cloud. What we miss in this process is the fact that we are almost always disconnecting ourselves from the actual dreaming process.

See, wishes and dreams are truly different things. When we wish, we think about all the things we wish we had. It sounds simple – like a “no-duh” – and this is exactly what it is. It is merely a wish – the flickering impression and light-hearted desire to have something that we do not currently have.

When we dream – and I mean authentically dream – the process unfolds as entirely different. A dream is a conscious thought, rooted in genuine, non-passive emotion that generates an idea or urge to accomplish a task or goal that will more precisely bring us in line with the life we want to live. A dream follows this path:

Influence -> Conception -> Inspiration -> Consideration -> Cost Weighing -> Planning -> Action -> Achievement

Through this path, a dream is far more than a fickle, fleeting wish. A dream is a desire burning long and hard enough to be translated by its conceiver into action and then success. A dream is about enhancing the present reality. A dream is about leveling up the experience that one or more people are having. Dreaming is about seeing the world anew, and embracing the blood, sweat and tears it will take to get there.

What are some of your dreams? Have you already begun chasing your dreams? Is there something preventing you from getting started? Please share in the comments below.

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