What are dreams? Dreams are soul food. Dreams are things that give us hope. And when they come true, they often give us joy and happiness. Dreams are important for us to hold onto, and to follow. I know when I have a dream inside me, and I listen, really listen, and work towards it coming true, I am filled with energy, and hopefulness, and happiness. Often, when people let go of a dream, when they lose it, something dies inside.
If dreams are so important to the soul, to happiness, then why do so many people try to discourage us from following our dreams? Maybe it's because they're afraid of seeing us blossom into our full selves, because that's a place they've never dared to go themselves. Maybe it's because their own dreams have withered away. Or maybe it's because they're just scared, scared of the happiness and energy that comes from a person following a dream--and scared of the vulnerability that someone can open themselves up to when they truly follow their heart.
It shouldn't matter what other people say about your dreams. If you have a dream that makes you feel good, follow it. Don't let sour criticism spoil your dream. Hold onto it, and do the best you can to make it come true. Hold onto your dream in the long nights it takes to get where you want to go--and notice each small step of success as you get there. Nurture your dream. Nurture yourself.
But other people aren't the only ones who put down our dreams, or try to suppress us. Sometimes we can be the most critical of our own dreams, by dismissing them or telling ourselves that they can't happen. When we let go of our dreams, we let go of a part of ourselves. We suppress a part of ourselves. And that can deaden us inside, to emotions, to hope. It can bring a lot of pain--because we're not letting ourselves reach for something that fulfills us. We're not letting ourselves try.
Not allowing ourselves to follow our dreams, or even to just dream, can eat away at us, and cause us to become bitter, angry, and self-loathing. But following our dreams--ah, that's what releases us. Even when it's hard--even when it's scary and we feel like giving up and we can't think how we're going to get there--even then, there's something that feels right to us, deep in our souls, something that speaks to our hearts and makes us feel alive.
Dreams are vital to our well being, and we should all have them.