Are You Playing Chicken With Your Dreams?

I’ve done it.  It isn’t anything to be ashamed of (at first).  You just have to make sure you don’t let it go on for too long.

What am I talking about?  Playing chicken with your dreams.

You know what I mean:

Wanting to.  Planning to.  Talking about how you will.

But not doing.

There are plenty of reasons why holding out a little longer or taking things slow can make sense.  But only for so long.  Because at some point, you’ve just gotta jump.

Why We Punk Out on Our Dreams

Sometimes you need to dance up to an idea, give it a once over, then dance away to size it up from a safer distance.  Sometimes you’re not where you need to be to commit just yet.

Sometimes it’s wise to “wait till a better time.” (Note: “better”—there is no “perfect” time.)

Sometimes you need to take the safe route (because it’s better for your dream, not because you’re scared to do otherwise).

But eventually?

Eventually, shit’s gotta get real.

Don’t Be the Dumb Girl in the Rom Com

Your dream can be a patient little bugger.  Like that guy (or girl) you ignore pointedly for years, who still insists on being super-nice to you, until one day you realize, “Holy Moses, this person is actually the one for me!  I can’t believe I never saw it before.  Thank god they stuck around even though I was being such a poohead!”

Dreams are willing to give you a little leeway to flake out, to freak out, and to go through the normal “can I will I maybe do you think so?” debates we all have over the things we want so much we’re kind of scared of them.  Just like that ever-patient hero in the rom com who has faith their beloved will eventually realize what they really want out of life.

But you know what?  Life isn’t a rom com.  No movie studio has money riding on the fulfilling “everything turns our right” ending that will make the audience happy.  It’s all up to you.

You can putz around long enough that the perfect guy or girl realizes they deserve better and moves on.

You can play “will I / won’t I” with your dream long enough that the answer eventually becomes “I didn’t.  (Why not?)”

You can give yourself a little time, and that’s fine.  That’s understandable.  Dreams are big scary things sometimes.  But they also have an expiration date.  It may never be too late to go after your dream, but it is possible to hem and haw about it so long that it never happens.

Your dream won’t wait forever.  So what are you going to do about that?

Related Posts:

• Your Life Shouldn’t Have a Snooze Button
• Do The Thing That Needs to be Done
• Sorry, I Don’t Go Down That Easy