Dreams are thoughts of a futuristic state, and we all have them. There’s no limit to the number of dreams one must have, so why have just one? I’m a collector of dreams. In my spare time, I launch into thoughts and acquire a dream. Sometimes, the dreams in my possession are not related in any form but still, I don’t mind since I didn’t pay to have them.
When I have so many dreams, I discard some before they turn into nightmares. Dreams keep you awake once you begin to take them seriously. When overwhelmed by a dream, you begin to work towards the actualisation of it. So far, I’ve not been known to shy away from dreams no matter how lofty they may seem.
However, there’s this dream I’ve been chasing, it seems to be number one on my list. It has also become an obsession and I have gone through turgid paths to get it. But no, it hasn’t been easy. I’ve been chasing and the dream has been running— each time I get close, it tells me to do something new from what I’ve always done. The incessant demands were tiring and sometimes, I considered giving up.
One day, I eventually gave up. It was only for a while but my revered dream was not in the know. My favourite dream was worried. No mentions, no chase, and it wondered how I was able to move on. By staving my dream of the needed attention, it softened and it seemed to be coming a bit closer, willingly. Still, I continued feigning my disinterest. After all, you can always replace a dream with an even better one.
My beloved dream is the jealous type and would stop at nothing until my attention returned. At this point, I became the dream. It felt nice being wanted too. I never knew I could be a dream’s dream. That in itself was a dream come true.
After a while, I returned to my dream—hoping I won’t be put under stress this time around. But I was wrong, the script was flipped on me and I discovered that the dream was evading me once more. This time, it even made a higher demand than what I had planned. I was gravely puzzled. Somehow, I found the desire to keep up the chase. Soon enough, I was hot on the heels of my darling dream. The pursuit was intense— I had put in all I had; My time, money and expertise were added to this wild chase. Everything looked well in place and I felt it was only a matter of time.
When it started looking like a waste of time, I began wondering, how long was too long to chase a dream — whereas, more than a zillion others are craving the least one-quarter of the attention already expended? Some things don’t make sense after all. And this time, I was willing to quit for real after realizing that my dream never chased me. It was only a figment of my untamed imagination. If frustration had a face, I was the poster boy.
In time, I learned that it wasn’t about how I felt or how much I had put in. Little did I know that every dream has a price and I had been paying the wrong price for it. For which, I didn’t meet the set valuation. The time I used for the chase was more than enough for me to get it; if only I had taken the time to know the right foot to put first. Truly, I needed a reorientation in the business of chasing dreams. it’s not a one-size-fits-all business. A thing might appear near but yet so far away. I learned the hard way.
In all, I’m not worried or sad about the money, energy and supposed expertise I used for the chase. What I can never get back is the time I had wrongly invested. There’s nothing new about most dreams. Others have dreamt of them and had them tucked away safely. What I should have done was to search for those who know how to catch my kind of dream— those whose dream had come true. Rather than gambling with my resources, I should have sought after the right knowledge instead. What I needed were guidance and mentorship but I thought I could do it myself without any prerequisite knowledge. I’m hoping that the lessons from this illustrious dream of mine will be your wake-up call.