Dare to Achieve

 Years ago, I purchased a journal as a gift for someone. The front of the journal displayed Thoreau’s famous quote, “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you have imagined.” This quote, I can only assume, is a staple mantra in the lives of thousands of Americans. It represents the American mindset, which is taught to us as children, and reinforced throughout our lives. It captures our values, our deepest desires, and the very foundations of our country (see United States Declaration of Independence). As I look around, I have to wonder how many people actually do “go confidently in the direction” of any one of their dreams. My heart mourns when I consider the reality that it’s not as many people as I hoped.  

At what point in adulthood do we allow guilt, fear, and obligation to interfere with our deepest desires? The foremost of these in my mind is fear. When I think about this restrictive kind of fear, I think about the people I see who settle because they are too afraid to put their lives on the line to get what they want. This crippling fear allows them to make excuses for why they won’t take a sprinting, flying leap into the fire of their deepest desires; whether it be professionally, spiritually, or even in terms of their relationships with family and friends. I know this fear and I taste it on the daily. I think the only way to overcome it is to acknowledge the desire(s), makes the plan(s), and run a million miles an hour. The key with the running is to never look to either side of you. The fear monsters are keeping up.

I understand that it gets much more complicated than all that. Although fear is an underlying issue in many of our roadblocks to living the life we’ve imagined, but what about guilt? Is it possible that guilt may be an even worse blockade? When I think about guilt, I think the following:

“I hate this job, but it supports my lifestyle.”

“I want to learn to be a photographer, but that will take time away from my children.”

“I’ve always wanted to travel to the Grand Canyon, but I can’t take time off work or away from my responsibilities.” Guilt leads to excuses. As my father always said, at the end of the day, “excuses are just lies.” Maybe the real issue with guilt is that you just don’t want it badly enough. And…

I haven’t forgotten sheer laziness in this equation. I’m not really speaking to that situation though. We all know why some people never achieve anything in life. They don’t want to work. I’m talking more about the people who allow inhibitions to swallow them whole, until they ultimately forget who they were to begin with.

People, we live only once. This life was a gift. Being born Americans was a gift. Dreaming is a gift. Squandering these gifts leaves nothing but a belly of regret and, more than likely, a pit of bitterness as we enter the later stages of our lives.  

Those who we admire the most have a few common threads among them: not only did they dare to dream, they also dared to achieve. These “success stories” put it all on the line and took one methodical step after another to get exactly what they wanted in life. They overcame fear, guilt, failure after failure, and managed obligations with desires to achieve the greatest goals of their lives. We look at them with admiration, appreciation, and maybe a little bit of jealousy. They did it. They got it. No shortcuts and no excuses.  

What is it that you really want? What do you think about in your silent moments? What do you dare to dream about as you fall asleep at night? If you are lacking in these things, what do you need to do to make them yours? There are no excuses. There is only planning and hard work. It’s worth it though. Imagine your last moments on this earth. What will you be thinking? I sure as hell hope it’s something along the lines of, “That was awesome!”