I am a man who loves to dream.  I have ventured through the thoughts of being a cowboy, a butler, and just floating in outer space for that matter. Thinking about all the places I want to go in life has been the heartbeat of what keeps me motivated as I drudge through the repetitive moments of dullness in my daily grind.  

As the years unravel, though, I have realized I struggle with the fact that I dream more than I actually do. The amount of time I have spent in a milieu that does not yet exist is large.  Perhaps dreaming seems more comfortable and safe than actually taking the painfully fun journey to the end goal in mind.  I have observed myself, as well as close friends, being held up for years thinking we are inadequate or don’t know enough about the desired goal to even start. I wonder if it has to do with how we were taught as children. It seems to be inadvertently taught that you cannot start something until you know everything about the subject. I could be wrong, although, it does seem ingrained throughout society that you can’t get a real job until you go to college and learn all about your area of expertise.

This comes across a bit ironic to me as the knowledge base that this system relies upon to teach you was forged through the painful process of many people not having a complete understanding and taking the time to press through the unknown and uncomfortable, humble themselves, and let the process teach them what they desired to learn. Don’t get me wrong, I do truly appreciate education, but I believe education is in the process that never stops. Once I personally got over the fear that I had not been educated enough I started to believe in myself more.  

As the journey of life has unraveled I have noticed myself more and more desiring the tangibility of action. A great personal example of mine is writing blogs. It may surprise you but this is a huge stretch for me. I am an electrician by profession currently.  I work with my hands. Yet, here I am pushing through the discomfort of uncertainty to develop an idea in the form of a blog. I sometimes think that pride is the biggest thing holding me, and men at large, from pursuing the end goal. I cannot count the number of times I have heard men say they do not want to do something because they are no good at it. How many times do we simply disengage ourselves from something that we would otherwise love and learn a great deal from? All in the name of pride, we stay complacent, emotionally dull, and in our comfort zone rather than becoming well-rounded men who are going somewhere in life.

In my own life, the hardest part about learning anything new is this: the first step.  That initial movement, “the leap”.  Have you ever jumped off a cliff into a large body of water?  I know, cheesy analogy, but it holds true in this scenario.  Those moments before I’ve hit the water, I am floating through the air in euphoria.  Fear is running rampant within my being.  I am raging against myself from the moment I perpetuate enough momentum to go beyond the point of no return soaring through the air to the second I sink into the depths of the water below immersed with ecstasy.  The latter always outweighs the tension of the former, yet the former can be undeniably powerful if we let it overtake us.  That all being said, it makes me wonder what our lives would look life if the dreamers only dreamed, if the leaders only thought instead of choosing to lead and if the inventors stopped short with just a few sketches.  What would life look like if humanity had been plagued with people who were unable to overcome their pride and take on new areas of life?  

I am consumed with thoughts about how my life would be drastically different if past generations never started anywhere.  For goodness sake look at Leonardo Da Vinci.  That man alone invented the foundation of practically a gazillion things that we still use today.  I want the essence of the men of old to continue on at an exponential level, not confined to the life of a few men but rather a movement of all men who are willing to chase something beyond the edge of the cliff.  Let’s be the world that is going somewhere.  Join me in getting beyond the comfort zone and making “the leap”.  You can’t get anywhere without starting somewhere.  Make those first few steps to jump off the cliff.  Ask someone for help.  Look up a YouTube tutorial on how to build a desk.  Just try it, allow yourself to fail, and learn from your mistakes.  The fear of failure is inevitable.  Come along side me in overcoming fear.  I personally commit to not giving up.  I want my life to always be moving forward.  I desire growth and the discomfort that comes with it.  Do you?  What is something you can do this week to get yourself headed in the direction of your dreams?  Henry David Thoreau said it best, “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams, live the life you have imagined.”

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this blog.  I would love to hear your thoughts!  If you like what you read, please take a short moment to share and comment!

Cheers,

Timothy