Dreams

“You dream about your sheep and the Pyramids, but you’re different from me, because you want to realize your dreams. I just want to dream about Mecca. I’ve already imagined a thousand times crossing the desert, arriving at the Plaza of the Sacred Stone, the seven times I walk around it before allowing myself to touch it. I’ve already imagined the people who would be at my side, and those in front of me, and the conversations and prayers we would share. But I’m afraid that it would all be a disappointment, so I prefer just to dream about it.” – The Crystal Merchant, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Dreams are fascinating. I’m not talking about the dreams, or nightmares, that we experience when we sleep. No, I’m referring to the dreams we have when we are awake. I’ve been thinking a lot about dreams lately. Largely because of the passage from The Alchemist in which the crystal merchant describes his dream to the boy. And admits that it will always be just that, a dream. The merchant saw in the boy something that he himself did not possess, the willingness and drive to take his dreams and turn them into reality. Taking one thing and, through force of will, transform it into something infinitely more valuable is alchemy. Taking a dream and bringing it to life is the simplest and most accessible form of alchemy available to us all.

Dreams are goals without a plan. All of the “What if’s?” All of the “Some day’s.” Someday I’ll leave my hometown. Someday I’ll pursue this passion. Someday I’ll learn how to draw, play guitar, climb Mt. Fuji. Children dream. They dream of all the things they can be, things they do, places they can go. Think back to when you were a kid and the dreams you had. Dreams of being a pilot, astronaut, rockstar, veterinarian, President. The only thing standing in the way of “some day,” separating that child holding press conferences in front of stuffed animals and the next President giving his acceptance speech, is a plan of action. Once you have a plan, it ceases to be a dream and becomes a goal.

Dreams are goals without intentional action. There is a saying, “no plan survives first contact.” Choosing to pursue something lofty, something you dream about, requires dedication and consistent, intentional action. Like with any plan of action, things happen that aim to deter your course of action. Losing sight of the end goal, losing the intention behind the actions you’re taking lands you in a place of complacency where your goal shifts back to a dream. The catch this time is that it is easy to hide behind the idea that an amount of progress has been made. Without that continual and intentional action, the dream will always remain just that, a dream.

Dreams are goals that we are too afraid to chase. Dreaming is safe, it’s comfortable. It doesn’t involve putting anything on the line. It doesn’t involve taking a risk or making a change. Dreaming doesn’t introduce the possibility of failing to achieve a goal. It’s only after it shifts from a dream to a goal that it becomes something that can be failed to reach. The fear of failure is one of the most insidious fears that we face, and, often, it is the single largest obstacle to overcome when you start chasing a dream. The security of dreaming is alluring and enticing, and before you know it, you’re trapped.

Long live the dreamers. Without them, without those that dare to dream big, ostentatious, absurd dreams, we would still be living in the stone age. Having a dream, a desire to make more, achieve more, do more, is foundational to being human. Without a dream, we would never have anything to strive for. Without a dream, we would never see the path forward. Dreams are many things. They show us what a better life looks like and what the best version of us could be. They give us something to chase, to work towards. We all have two choices, we can be the crystal merchant and deny ourselves that which we dream of, or we can be Santiago and do whatever it takes to keep moving towards our goals.