I recently read a Facebook post encouraging people to pursue their dreams. "What's holding you back?" enthusiastically wrote the pal on Facebook.
What a crock of crap!
Let me be the first to say: there is no such thing as a "dream" job, "dream" occupation, "dream" mate, etc. The concept doesn't exist. Why do you think it's called a dream? It's not reality. Stop trying to chase dreams, slap some cold water on your face and join the rest of us in reality.
Now, I'm not saying you can't live a great life, create or find a great job. I believe you can, and it's not as hard as you think.
I'm saying the idea of chasing a dream is ridiculous. Great jobs usually develop out of hard work and dedication, not dreams. Do you think Ray Gallardo was chasing a dream as a dishwasher in the 1970s? Hell no. He was trying to make a living. He ended up moving up to a cook, then manager and then starting his own restaurant chain, Casa Gallardo.
Now, many people have dreams of starting a successful restaurant. The problem isn't following the dream. The problem is finding people who are willing to persevere through washing dishes, taking orders, scraping old food off of plates at 2am on a Sunday morning. That's no dream. That's reality. To find a great job or great career or great mate, what holds many people back isn't dreams, but reality.
--Ron Ameln, SBM
