I am always intrigued when visiting history museums. They are loaded with shiny gold icons, polished marble sculptures, and intricately designed pottery. What amazes me is that most of these priceless pieces were buried. Untouched for many years, they slowly got covered over time. Layer by layer, they disappeared under the dirt, eventually going unnoticed and forgotten.
They are not unlike your dreams. As a child and into young adulthood, we develop ideas of what we want our lives to look like. We think about the house we want to live in, the type of job we would love to have, the person we want to marry, and the amount of money we want to make. Because we are dreaming, we think about the ultimate house, the perfect job, the ideal spouse, and financial freedom. We think big.
Why? Why do we think so big? Why do we visualize perfection? Is it necessary? Is it wise? Is it sensible to do that?
I say yes! While some say aiming for perfection is dangerous and sets you up for disappointment and frustration, I say perfection is a worthy goal–likely not attainable, but worth shooting for. Vince Lombardi said, “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence.”
Every great achievement started with a dream. The foundation of all significant and noteworthy creations started with visualization. The mind cannot achieve what it cannot see. The most awe-inspiring architectural structures were built using high-quality materials. But that structure could not have been built without detailed, written plans. And those written plans started as a thought. The creator had a vision… a dream.
Your life is a creation. It is built over time. Is your life what you dreamed it would be? Are you living the life you envisioned early on? If not, why not? What changed? Why did you stop pursuing it? What excuses have you made?
Like ancient relics, your dreams may have gotten buried. What was once a clear and exciting vision got covered, layer after layer, until it was unrecognizable and forgotten. But here’s the thing…. your dreams are not gone; they are just buried. Some excavating could help rediscover your long-lost hopes and dreams.
Obviously, life changes and your wants and needs change too. The dreams that you had years ago may not be the same today. But how about doing a little digging, thinking about the old dreams and revamping them? You can dig up the old dreams, or you can create brand new ones. Why settle for less? Why not strive for perfection? Why not set huge goals?
The two twin thieves in life are fear and regret. The fears that you might feel when dreaming big stem from worrying about what others think, thinking you could fail, and getting outside your comfort zone. But there is no harm in thinking extremely big. Les Brown summed it up well… “Most people fail in life not because they aim too high and miss, but because they aim too low and hit.”
The second thief, regret, can suck the life out of us. Nobody wants to be on their deathbed wishing they would have, or realizing they could have. You likely have already had feelings of regret. But it’s not too late. Start thinking about what you really want in life. What do you want things to look like in one year… in five years… in a decade. Think big. Be bold.
Push fear aside, work to prevent regret, and start digging up those old dreams. If you walk through any history museum, you will find loads of priceless artifacts that were buried and lost. They were dug up, cleaned up, and restored, the same way your dreams can be. Don’t let another layer get dumped upon your ultimate goals and your best life. Everything in your life can be better. It’s up to you to decide how much better. Start digging… find those dreams… then get to work making those dreams a reality.
