If you never reach for your dreams, they'll always be out of reach.

OK, so if you haven't read the previous blog, now would be the time...this is my response:

Successful people are always telling you that in order to become as successful as they are, you have to follow your dreams. You have to listen to your heart. You need to do something that truly makes you happy. These people are actors, sports stars, businessmen - the elite in their particular field. Like Steve Jobs said, you need to love what you do. The logic is that if you have a passion for your work, it no longer becomes work. And when that happens you put more energy and effort into it than ever before. Boom - you're successful, rich and famous, dating Natalie Portman and cruising the world in your magnificent yacht. Fantastic. Now what about reality. The reality is no one ever grows up saying they want to be an accountant (sorry, SAJ!). The reality is no 5 year old boy lies back in their bed and dreams of one day becoming an assistant to the office manager of some third-rate plastic bag manufacturer. Ditto for secretaries, taxi drivers, telemarketers and dentists and pretty much any other "normal" profession out there. You'll never hear "Mommy! You know that man who drilled holes in my teeth until the pain was so bad I wanted to poke out his eyes with a corkscrew? I want to be him when I grow up!" Most people don't follow their dreams. In fact, forget loving what you do, very rarely do you meet someone who actually likes what they do.

Now, there's a bias here. The only people who have the opportunity to tell you to "love what you do" are the people who actually became successful at loving the things they do. You don't hear from the 1 million wannabe actors working dead end waiter jobs in L.A hoping for their big break. You don't hear about the guy who quit the family business and trained to be an astronaut for 8 years, only to be told he wasn't NASA material. You don't hear about the guy who tried to be a hockey star until a brutal injury forced him out of a crucial playoff game which would have brought him national exposure. You simply don't hear from them. Because, like the majority of dream chasers, they took their shot, and they failed. Now they're penniless and desperate and cursing the unnamed hero of theirs who in a moment of glory uttered the famous words "Reach for your dreams. Follow your heart, do what you love."

Now I'm really not a total cynic at heart; I'd like to believe that your dreams can come true. The simple fact is that in today's society the odds of this happening are stacked against you. From a young age we're told to be sensible. We're taught to think within the lines. We're reprimanded for adventurous behaviour. By the time we reach university we're brainwashed. Instead of studying what we love, we study what is sensible. But by this time you think you're making the decisions when in fact the decision was never yours in the first place. You take the route that most people take, because it's safe. And you land up years later with a safe career, the nice wife who you attracted with your stable career choice, and your 3.5 kids who you provide for with your stable income.

Now, who's better off? The actor-wannabe, who though happy he's "living his dream", is now in his thirties, working for minimum wage, and contemplating a move back to his parent's house in 6 months? Or you. You've accepted a career you don't like, in a profession you never wanted to be in. Your life is not as exciting as you once hoped it could be. Every day is becoming a grind. But you have money and a future. Now the people we look up to may say if you never reach for your dreams they will always be out of reach (actually, I just said that, and I kind of like it). But there's always another side to the story. How about this: if everyone followed their dreams, we'd have a society of astronauts and fashion models and actors and racecar drivers and cowboys and athletes and pornstars. Nothing would ever get done, society would grind to a halt and chaos would ensue. And because no wealth would be created, no one would have enough money to buy Steve Job's i-Pods or Mac computers. In fact, he'd be bankrupt. So Stevie, before you mouth off to some college grads in the future, think a little.

I could go on, and maybe I will at some later point, because I really didn't get across my thoughts too clearly. I think you need to challenge yourself, you need to take risks to avoid a stagnant and unfulfilling life. But at what cost?

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I think my dream career would be screenwriter, or movie director. Should I pursue it? Or am I at 27 yrs old, over the hill? But, alas, that is a story for another time. Have a good one kids, and feel free to comment.

PEACE.