DREAM KILLERS

          When I grow up I want to be a doctor. When I grow up I want to be a professional basketball player. I want to be a teacher. Sounds good right? As kids, we all dream about what we may become as adults. We develop role models based off of the people in those professions and we strive to be like them. We often emulate their actions to the point where we try to dress like them, carry ourselves like them, and often develop the same interests as them hoping we can become a carbon copy of whom they are. Their words become ours. We become infatuated with them and the dream. Nothing can stop us from chasing that dream. At least that's what we think. Dreams are easy to think about but not as easy to chase. That's why it's a dream.

          Enters the negativity. The people telling you that it's impossible to follow your dream. you'll never be good enough. Your parents are nothing and so are you. The chances of you not making it are greater than you actually making it. Has anyone from this neighborhood made it? So much negativity! Why? Well there are a few reasons for that. First off, a dream was not made to be an easy task. We all see the professional athletes at the top of their game. The well renowned doctors who everyone mentions performed their surgeries. The top notch teachers who made a difference in the lives of many students who went on to accomplish many things with higher levels of education and degrees. What we often fail to see is the work that was put in to accomplish these things. We take for granted the work involved to get to the top. So what normally happens is, we start chasing our dreams and realize that it is going to take a lot more work than we thought. We hit a wall. It's not what we imagined it would be. Then comes more chatter. This time the chatter is more relevant because it's from your peers. Isn't it funny how you always seem to encounter people who are stuck at the same point that you are? But instead of helping you, they discourage you because they gave up so long ago? Never let someone who gave up their dreams, kill yours. Never. You may have the same dream but that doesn't mean you have the same drive. The same passion. The same resiliency. The things that killed his pursuit doesn't have to be the stopping point for you. Push through it. 
         Another thing that kills a dream is doubt. When doubt develops in your mind, it's hard to get over. Once the mind is defeated, the body will follow. That's just how it works. The key is learning how to turn doubt into fuel. The same way it can leave you feeling overwhelmed, the same way it can propel you to new heights. Breaking through a wall isn't easy but it will take a persistent and consistent effort. We often let the words of others stop us from continuing and that shouldn't be the case. We should have enough belief in ourselves and our effort to know that if we give everything we have, we can accomplish anything. It only takes one hole for a leak to become a flood right? Be the hole that causes the flood. Because after someone sees you do it, they become empowered by you. You become the role model and the cycle continues. Your dream is your dream. Everyone can't come with you. They can encourage you and motivate you but you can't always carry them with you. There will come a time where you will be on your own with your own thoughts, at a crossroads, and a decision will have to be made by you. It will be tough but that's the beauty of chasing your dream. You make mistakes but you learn from them as you go. The one thing you never do is give up on your dream. More importantly, you never give up on yourself. If you make any bet, always bet on yourself. I've had numerous people tell me what I can and can't be. They didn't believe in me and at the time it discouraged me. I wanted everyone's approval. As I grew older, I cared less about what people said, and more about what God said. Anything is possible, if you believe. Never stop believing in yourself.