Dreams are like clouds. Wistfully floating through the air, they catch the attention of those desiring to look out from themselves. Clouds drift on by regardless of who’s watching. Forming from droplets upon droplets of moisture, clouds grow into enormous sizes. Like clouds, dreams grow from droplets upon droplets of thoughts. These thoughts grow and grow until they cannot be confined any longer to the mind but must morph into an action. As clouds bursting with moisture produce rain, minds bursting with thoughts produce actions. One action leads into another…and another…and another…and eventually these actions, once thoughts, become a habit. A habit kept should naturally create a lifestyle.
As much as I want to tackle a huge daydream right this instance and conquer it…I’m realizing that I don’t just want to conquer one daydream. I want to conquer many of them. So I’m left with two options. One, I can go after them one at a time and focus just on one until it’s become reality. Or two, I can go after the lifestyle that will naturally encourage and induce death in my daydreaming. My choice? The latter, of course.
It’s like training for a marathon. People wanting to run a marathon will need to get in shape and push themselves in training. They drink a lot of water, run a lot of miles, and eat pasta the night before. (or something like that) If they’ve prepared themselves enough, the marathon won’t entirely kill them. If the goal was to run a single marathon, then kudos to them—it’s done. They may never want to run another day of their lives….but what if they did? What if they kept running? What if they kept running so that their bodies were always somewhat ready to go for the next marathon, mountain climb, or an insanely long backpacking excursion into the boundary waters? If their bodies were always in shape, training for the next big thing wouldn’t be nearly as taxing or time consuming. Conquering the next goal would come naturally.
What if killing off daydreams came naturally? I think it’s possible if we start small—one droplet of thought at a time.
What kind of lifestyle will encourage daydreams to become a reality? What kind of lifestyle naturally makes dreams come true?
The first thing that comes to my mind is time. A woman who makes her dreams come true is on time. She knows the value of every moment and makes the most of each one. She’s on time to her appointments and respects the time that others have set aside for her. She’s not going to miss out on opportunities because she manages her time, doesn’t procrastinate, and is prepared for anything.
To be honest, I wish the above paragraph was a description of me. Sadly, it isn’t. If you are in my classes, you have learned to leave a seat empty by the door for when I come in late. It’s not that I have the intention of being late…I just get distracted easily. Maybe I’ll notice a card on my desk that I got in the mail earlier in the week and I’ll take a couple minutes to reread it and think fondly of the person who sent it to me. Or perhaps I’ll stop to read a poster on my way to class, or see a friend in the hallway, etc. Whatever excuse I use, it’s still an excuse for something that deserves no excuse. While I would not say that I choose to be late, by choosing to take time to “diddle” I am truly choosing to be late. I would never intentionally disrespect a professor or a classmate, but by continually being late to class I am doing just that. I’m saying that I value myself more than I value the time and effort my professor has put into the class. I truly am being self-centered and disrespectful however unintentional I’d like to think I am.
That brings me to the action I’d like to take this week. I have plenty of thoughts, but I need to start acting on those thoughts…starting with my timeliness. I have no reason to be late to anything. Ever. I want to set my alarm for the time that I need to wake up…and actually get out of bed…at that time. From this day forward, I will not be making use of snooze button. I want to be a woman who is dependable and respectful of time. I no longer wish to miss out on opportunities because I haven’t been managing my time.
It may seem small, but that's where it all begins. If I can be faithful to fight to be the woman I want to be in the small things, how much easier will it be to faithfully fight in the big things? Perhaps bringing death to daydreams isn't so much about going after just one or two, but becoming a person that faithfully fights to the death.
I'm choosing to fight for the woman I'm to become. This fight must start with the smalls things, and it must be a constant fight. There really isn't an in between. Either you fight or you die. In a battlefield, you fight to the death. If you were to fight halfheartedly in battle, you'd die quickly. If you fight halfheartedly for yourself in life, you are doomed to fail.
So I choose to fight.
Start small. Thoughts. Actions. Habit. Lifestyle. Dead dreams.
