The Category of Believing You Know All Your Dreams

I was recently hearing a common sentiment, often shared with children as they grow up. They are constantly shown people who decide at a very young age what their dream is, and are taught to shoot for it, no matter the obstacles. There is a kind of heroic success attributed with someone who makes a choice about their path at an early age, and follows through. I suppose this post will be short, because I just want to rant a little. This is misleading, and possibly damaging.

I asked my Dad recently what is something he has learned in his life that he thinks would have been good to know earlier. He said one of his greatest life lessons was that you don't always know what the best path is for yourself, and you certainly don't always know the path you are on. Basically he was telling me that it is important to have goals, or sights for the future, but that you can't get caught up believing you know best for yourself all the time. Realistically, a "dream" you have when you are young, may be not only impossible, but may turn out to be not as grand as wa believed in childhood.

What I have learned is that you need to truly have an open mind, and not be afraid to deviate from your path when it becomes opportune. Someone may reach and reach towards becoming an astronaut, only to miss a path they may have enjoyed better. I have watched people on Dragon's Den who have put ten years, and tens of thousands of dollars into their business, which really should have been laid to rest long ago. Sometimes other people can see your path clearer than you, and it is important to discover what other people see in you.

Last year I had what I call my "crisis". A little dramatic when compared to other crisis in the world, but relative to my life it is quite appropriate. For some reason I felt out of control, and still believed that I was the only one who knew myself well enough to turn things around. I was the one who decided what I needed to get better, and I pushed myself harder and harder to somehow get well. At some point I had to answer the classic question asked by Dr. Phil to people who explain why they keep doing what they're doing, "How's that working out for ya?" And really, what this question shows, is that you don't always know what's best, though it can be hard to see that. If it's not working, stop doing it.

I believe in dreams, and I believe in the stead-fast pursuit of them. I'm not saying give up when you reach a hard path, but I am saying give up when you realize the path is lined with poison, and can only end in defeat. When you find yourself here, discover a new dream; the world has many.