I grew up wanting to be somebody wanting to do something great in the world. I never quite knew what that entailed. I never quite knew what the word greatness meant.
What would it look like when I got there?
What would be the exact route?
I just knew it was required of me and not only did I need to acquire it but I wanted it. I did not want to be just another blip on the radar of life.
That’s the thing when you are young no one quite tells you how to be great just that you should strive to be. You are left to look around you for the answers.
And in this life, if you don’t have a direction early on most will make you feel as if you might as well just settle for a life of average.
That was problematic for me.
But, I did not know what would make me great. And time seemed to pass quickly. So, I looked to others.
I had many people tell me what great wasn’t. And I knew I never wanted to be those things because in my limited understanding that would assuredly make me a failure.
I just never had clarity.
I had the will.
I had hope.
Ironically, the things I most wanted to do were the things that I was told I should give up on because I would never be great at them. Therefore, I struggled.
And those voices stayed with me.
Beware of the opinions of others. Never let it occupy to much space in your mind.
My purpose was fueled by the desires, expectations, and beliefs of others.
“You are great at this not so great at that.”
“You will never be able to that.”
“You should do this instead.”
Because I let others walk through my mind with their dirty footprints, I lived most of my young life with a healthy dose of skepticism and fear.
I constantly held myself back.
Sometimes fear is all it takes.
I was driven but uncertain.
When I stepped out but failed those voices would play in my head and mock me. And I became more and more afraid that those voices were right about me. I was in constant conflict with myself.
At times I would tap into my inner strength and fight against the grain to prove those voices wrong. Sometimes I would win but more often than not I would fail. It was a vicious cycle that fed my fear. That made my dreams shrink a little.
This cycle continued throughout my life.
My hopes would swell and then an obstacle would pop up. And every time my dreams got smaller and smaller. At some points in my life, I stopped dreaming altogether.
But, I didn’t stop moving through life.
At the same time, my life kept expanding. This kept me grounded and moving. It kept my dreams from drying up altogether.
Upon having children I slowly began to realize that my life was suddenly not just an experience for me any longer but it was a lesson for my children. But it took me a while to fully recognize it.
And the lessons I taught in my growing process weren’t very good ones.
Be Careful with how you live your life someone is always watching.
Because I know longer dreamed out loud and in color, because I folded my dreams within myself and just kept on moving, I was telling them in no uncertain words it was okay to do the same.
Now sometimes, I look at my children and I am deeply saddened.
I am not even sure they know what the importance of dreaming is. I am not sure they know how to reach or even have the desire to do so.
I see them moving through life but that is what they are just doing, just moving, just riding the wave.
But, I want more for them and for others.
Never too late to start dreaming! It’s never too late to set an example!
Here I am trying to not only fulfill a dream but to leave a lasting legacy.
Choosing to dream is about more than just me or you being great its about extending a lifeline. It’s about leaving a legacy that will inspire others to be more, do more, and reach beyond what they believe is their potential.
That is how I want to create the change I wish to see in the world.
Inspiraelevation 