Every human being has a dream in their heart. For you, it may be buried deeply, it may have been forgotten about, or it may be clear, strong and in your face. No matter what, every one of us has a dream for a better life, to achieve something, to become someone, or to live with joy. The tragedy is, whilst we all have a dream or dreams, many people never realise them. The reason, I believe, is because they don’t really know what dreams are made of.
Eurythmics sing a song called Sweet Dreams. The lyrics may actually give us some hint of what dreams are truly made of. The chorus goes like this;
‘Sweet dreams are made of these.
Who am I to disagree?
I travel the world and the seven seas.
Everybody’s looking for something.
Some of them want to use you.
Some of them want to get used by you?
Some of them want to abuse you.
Some of them want to be abused.’
They are actually worth reflecting on. I believe the biggest challenge most people have, and the reason why they don’t achieve their dreams, is because they don’t really know what dreams are actually made of. They believe dreams are made of luck, of talent, of intellect, of education, of ideal circumstances, of ease, of knowing the right people, and of many other things that seem normal and natural to achieve any dream. The reality is, it’s just not true.
Go back and have a look at that second verse above from the Eurythmics and you’ll get some idea of what dreams are really made of.
One of my dreams was to play professional football. As a 17-year-old I was knocked unconscious, carried off on a stretcher, and taken to hospital. My career was almost over before it started. As an 18-year-old, after playing my first senior game of football, I had to endure 20 months of rejection, missed selection, ridicule, frustration, and significant personal growth before I played my second senior game. When I had finally made it as a regular senior player, and my dream was being realised, I discovered that my dream was definitely not made of luck, natural ability, or any of the things that most people think.
My dream was made of pain, frustration, persistence, rejection, resilience, lessons, self-growth, trust, and most of all, patience.
Your dream, like mine, is made of adversity, mistakes, failures, lessons, personal growth, frustration, persistence, trust, and just like me, patience. Every dream is made up of these things. You will never achieve anything amazing in your life without going through trials and tribulations. So, when you are ready to aspire to something great, get excited when challenges come because that is what your dream is made of. The people who seem the luckiest, the smartest, the most intelligent, the happiest, and living the way you would love to live, knew what their dreams were made of and were willing to go through the challenges to get to where they wanted to go.
If you have a dream to create optimal well-being, just know it’s made of discomfort, sacrifice, and patience. If you have a dream to be successful in business, just know it’s made of frustration, rejection, poor choices, and personal growth. If you have a dream to have a blissful relationship, just know it’s made of honesty, disagreement, frustration, and compromise. Any and every dream you have is made of things that will help you become the person you need to become to receive, achieve, and enjoy your dream.
Don’t miss my podcast this week with Deanna Cooney called ‘Trust is a must’. As you work towards achieving your dream, trust will be a big part of what that dream is made of. I want you to believe in your heart you can achieve anything you want in your world. All you have to know and accept is what your dream is truly made of.