More often than not, knowing what's possible for yourself or with a given resource or opportunity is usually born from having a second-hand experience of someone else achieving something similar.
For example, a friend of mine never thought starting a business was realistic until she learnt of her neighbor turning a weekend hobby into a five-figure income.
I think anyone can dream, in terms of conjuring images of a desired future or outcome.
We humans have an inherent tendency to be imaginative, creating entire worlds and scenarios that only exist in our minds, and sometimes only a few of those having a tinge of possibly becoming a tangible reality.
I think dreaming big, to the point of borderline delusion isn't for the faint of heart, unless you have on its trail a few ways on how to go about achieving that big dream.
For the most part, dreaming is like an event or a destination of sorts that one would like to be at.
And usually, there isn't any process attached to it, in terms of the concrete steps or iterative actions needed to get there.
A usual disconnect that I've noticed recently is that the size of the dream is always greater than the perceived effort required, and the journey when undertaken becomes less of a focus than the destination.
It's almost like a paradox that you have to be realistic and calibrate your effort and expectations in order to achieve the perceived unrealistic.
Passionate Detachment
In order to at least make meaningful progress, I think also one of the best ways to go about is to hold the dream without getting attached to it. This way you can maintain the vision while staying flexible about the path and timeline.
Of course, not getting attached can be really, really hard when you understand that it's the attachment that's the main source of fuel to pursue the dream in the first place.
But you also have to equally understand that nothing sustainable is built from extreme sides of the spectrum.
In this case, the spectrum is attachment versus detachment, and its middle comprised of caring enough to act consistently while also remaining adaptable to how the dream might evolve or manifest differently than originally imagined.
I'm sure it seems like a tightrope walk. Actually, it is. Because this middle ground requires developing what could be called "passionate detachment."
How can one be passionate and detached at the same time?
Well, a possible answer is in redefining what passion means in the context of pursuing long-term goals.
Slow Burn
Traditional passion implies intensity, urgency, and emotional investment in specific outcomes.
Sustainable passion is more like a steady flame that provides consistent warmth for the long haul than a roaring fire which consumes its fuel quickly and easily burns out.
The emotional resilience to pursue something meaningful over time without needing constant validation that you're "on track" is honed through repeated encounters with uncertainty.
And as an effect, you could start viewing yourself becoming the kind of person who can navigate uncertainty while moving toward something that matters to you irrespective of immediate results or external affirmation.
Chasing dreams comes with the fact check that 1) Dreams aren't static, they change as you grow and gather new information. 2) Reality always has surprises in store for even the most meticulously planned ventures.
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