How To Dream Again

Being stuck in the middle of a pandemic can really push you to a place of wanting freedom, newness, difference…. just change because they're so much monotony in life, in trying to stay safe. I know for a fact that I have struggled with being “safe” all the time and I know that this feeling has pushed me to wanting adventure. I want some kind of safe risk and just to be able to dream again without the fear of being sick or dying.

I'm someone who struggles a lot with anxiety especially when it comes to travelling, but at the same time I am aware that being stuck in my house or in the four corners of my city doesn't make me feel like I'm living, and so I rationalise this fear and I tell myself that it's time to dream again, it's time to take a risk, and time to see what is out there for me. There's more to life than just being safe.

So here's how I started to dream again….

1.) I sat down and thought about all the things I had put my time into while being in quarantine: The kind of books I read, the kind of movies I watched, the kind of clothes I wanted to wear…. All the things that preoccupied me. From there, narrowed down what I was itching and dreaming to do next… finding what you like is important because what the pandemic has given us is a second chance to dream again, a blank slate…. You get to pick your life so it's important now for you to truly find where your passions lie and go towards that direction. Don’t squander your second chance, really think about what you want to do this time round.

2.) I did a lot of Googling of potential job offers that related to my skill set near me, overseas, just anywhere…Cast the net wide, invite Google to be your friend because she is here to help you dream big as well, and you can’t move as of yet so freely, but she can, so let her tell you what's available out there as you give her all the things that are on your mind. I find that using the Internet to also meet other people, join groups, join forums, ask questions…helps eliminate my sense of anxiety; as I'm able to put across everything I'm thinking and feeling and the Internet solves it for me.

3.) Let some close friends in on your plans. They might have connections, resources or friends who have the answers or links you are looking for. I know in the past I have struggled with telling people about my dreams because there's always a fear of pessimism and realism washing away the colours you’ve just painted in your mind of your future. Although having people like this is good because they do keep you on the straight and narrow, but you should be really selective about them and not just let anybody know about your hopes and plans for the future. Invite people who truly care about, who you truly want to help you, and who truly have the means of helping you. You might get a wide scale of people who really don't care and tell you horrible things about the dreams you have, or you might have people who just say “Yes!” cheer you on without any intention of actually supporting or helping you. Either end of the scale is not healthy because this doesn't move you forward. Find the middle ground friends as they’re the ones who truly care and want to help.

4.) Now it's time to take action. Once you have all the information presented to you, you know all the facts, you know what is required of you to make your application, or to make whatever move you need to make—just do it, think Shia LeBeouf, Nike ad, “Just Do It!” This is the time for you to just take a leap of faith, no second guessing, no more Internet searching, because you've done that already, now is the time to just act on it. Apply as many times as you need to, put yourself out there as far and as much as you need to. Because I believe that the more you apply, the more you put yourself out there, the more likely you are to get a reply. And from there you can then decide what is best for you. This also teaches you that if you face rejection with what you've applied for then you can then learn about the reality of the dreams you're dreaming. For example if you're dreaming of becoming an author or writer but you have no background in writing or journalism, you’re going to get rejected more than likely (this is just my assumption, don’t let this deter you from doing this anyway!). But that's okay, because then that teaches you, maybe you need to take a step back from the dream, and take smaller steps rather than bigger steps. You're interested in writing, then apply for a class, apply for a certificate accreditation…Find a way to get qualified so that the reality of you being an author or writer is more attainable.

Once it's done once, it's out there, whatever results you do or don't get, I want to applaud you for doing this. The last year and a half has been hard on all of us, and things like dreaming was not something we could do. We've given it some time, with given ourselves time to process to be able to adapt and to put aside the things that made us happy just to be able to survive, now is the time to allow ourselves the freedom of dreaming and I'm glad that you did it. I'm glad that you gave it a chance. Here's to hoping that the rest of this year and the years to come allow us to dream again. Despite everything, I hope that this is a reminder that you can put yourself back on the priority list again. Search yourself, search your hearts desires, and go towards that! I can't wait to see what comes next for you, all the best!!

Time for some serious, deep (and fun) soul searching!