dreams

10 Years of Chasing Dreams

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I’ve been thinking a lot about dreams.

Some dreams are small. Some are huge. Some seem attainable. Some seem beyond our reach.

But the thing about dreams is that they don’t chase us. We have to go after them to make them come true.

I thought it might be fun to share some “dream” quotes today. I love this one because it is a call to action. To not just dream about how our life could be, but to live the life we dream.

I also love this reminder that it is NEVER too late to pursue a dream. Age is only a number, not a stumbling block.

This Walt Disney quote is one of my favorite “dream” quotes. It’s a reminder to me to have courage.

You see, ten years ago, I left my day job to pursue a full-time writing career (passion!). My husband nudged me to take a big leap of faith and I haven’t regretted for even one minute that I walked away from security and stability to chase my dream.

 

And this quote speaks to my heart. When I left my job, so many well-meaning people acted like I’d lost my mind and poured in advice. Suggested I beg for my job back. Asked if I wasn’t too young to retire. Let me assure you, I’ve worked harder and longer the past ten years than I ever did at any of the jobs I held over the years.

And that’s because of this quote. Dreams don’t just happen. You have to work for them. Work hard. Sacrifice. Put in the sweat and determination (tears and blood – paper cuts count, don’t they?).

I’ve been pursuing a dream for ten years not just for myself, but also for CC. He believes in me whole-heartedly and it would shred my heart to let him down. And then there are my faithful readers who have become friends and so very dear to me. I am so blessed by them, and their encouragement and kindness.

So I keep dreaming bigger dreams, and then working hard to make them come true. And I will tell you, there are a lot of times I have no idea what I’m doing. There are a lot of days I’m scared by the goals I’ve set. But I love what I do. And am so grateful and so incredibly blessed to be able to do something I love every day.

What’s one dream you would like to pursue,

or that you’ve already made come true?

 

Oh, and before I forget, be sure you pop over to enter my big 10-year anniversary giveaway!

Cheryl St.John: Our Dreams Are Who We Are

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It seems impossible that it’s nearly Easter, but here we are, and life is just as crazy busy as ever. I stopped today to look at my planner, see what I’ve done this year and how many of those things were on my goals sheet. You have a goals sheet don’t you? During the year I often check back to see if I’m where I want to be. A lot of times when the excitement has drained from our writing or we’re bored with the tedium of work and responsibilities, it’s because we’ve forgotten our dreams.

There are mortgages to pay and kids to raise and groceries to buy and dinners to prepare.  Besides that there are books to promote and cars that need oil changes and graduations and—fill in the blank. That’s life. But tucking away our aspirations at the expense of our personal well-being isn’t healthy. Eventually we resent the things that are “robbing” us, instead of enjoying each facet for the richness it brings. Certainly there is joy to be found in the dream of your own home and in the treasure of children, but sometimes we pause in the midst of all that busyness to wonder, “Is this all there is?” There has to be more, and we yearn to find fulfillment within ourselves. That’s most often the time to reprioritize our busy schedules.

 

Look at the goals you set for this year. If you missed the mark, just start over. Don’t beat yourself up over what you didn’t do; just start today and look forward.  If you didn’t make a list, it’s not too late to get started. Take time now. Sit down and write five things you dream of doing. Divide them into categories if you like: Family, Professionally, Writing, Spiritually, or Just for Me. Now select one that you will devote yourself to work on before the end of summer. Make another list of the steps you will take to see that accomplishment come to pass.

Now take those steps. Recapture the joy. We need to be participants in our lives, not spectators. We need to be passionate about our dreams. Sometimes simply revisiting our dreams is the kick we need to change our thinking and get us out of a rut. So dream big and dream often.

 

All the photos are mine.

 

If you haven’t read Donnelly’s Promise yet, you can read it in its entirely here for free:

http://cherylstjohn.blogspot.com/p/free-story-donnellys-promise.html