What Are Your Dreams?

   As children we spend a lot of time dreaming, planning for our futures, setting goals, looking forward with hope and excitement. We are encouraged to dream and to dream big. We are told that the world is ours as long as we keep reaching. But what happens when we stop? Why are these concepts only allowed for the young? They aren't. We just forget.

   Often, when I think about the young version of me and the current version of me...I feel like they are two different people. Like there was a before, and an after with a very large disconnect in between. Sometimes when I think about the younger version it almost feels like I am thinking about a completely different person. And this got me to wondering why that is.

   It's because I have stopped dreaming. When I became a mom I felt like it meant I had to put all of ME aside and solely focus on the person I was raising. I was under the impression that to be an adult and a mom it meant that it was now my job to make sure my child was safe and not hindered by anything that may impede her dreams. I walked away from everything that made me a real person and I became solely Mom.

   For a very long time I was focused on who I was SUPPOSED to be and not so much who I WANTED to be. I would try so hard to fit into this box that constantly changed and I never quite fit. I would look at others far more successful and noteworthy than I, and I would wonder how on earth they became that.

   How does one become so valued? And one day....it hit me. They weren't trying to be anything other than who they authentically were. They never stopped dreaming and reaching and trying and doing. They weren't afraid to fail. They weren't afraid to let go of unsuccessful projects.  They tried. And if it didn't work then they would let go, or make a change. Either way its ok! It is ok to say "well that didn't go as planned." It is ok to reroute your path as many times as you need to until you find what works for you.

   I am finding my authentic self these days. I am dreaming and dreaming big. This blog is part of that. And I am reaching. And I am not afraid for things to not work out. I'm not afraid to put down one thing that is not working in order to pick up something else that may help me get to where I want to be.

   So what I am trying to say here is this. Don't be afraid to dream. Don't be afraid to love what you love loudly. Don't be afraid to be who you are, your most authentic self. Don't be afraid to try. Don't be afraid to fail. Don't be afraid to move forward. Life is not a straight line. We will get there together.

XoXo
Tiff