“But as long as a man has the strength to dream, he can redeem his soul and fly” -Elvis Presley

But what about those of us whose dreams get caught in a cloud of confusion and self doubt? What about those of us who have a dream that remains just that, a dream? Instead of a clear path in front of us we see a foggy walkway, unsure of which direction it is even going. Some of us are born with a path already laid out for us. We follow the yellow brick road to the destination we were told would make us happy. Others listen to trusted confidants about which path to pursue and follow that, instead of truly listening to the internal voice gently guiding them. This voice can sometimes sound like a deafening scream, knowing that if we don’t follow the path we are yearning for, then there is no point in being on a path at all.

“What if my dream is to just be happy? Where does that leave me?”

I would say for most, this voice can be difficult to distinguish from our self doubt, societal pressures, fear of financial instability, and the reality check of the world telling us “You? Good luck with that”. For myself, this guiding voice has been reduced to a whisper and sometimes I can’t hear it at all. Not because I don’t want to, but because it is so difficult to know if the path I choose will align with the level of happiness I hope to achieve. What if my dream is to just be happy? Where does that leave me? There aren’t really job titles that state “Find happiness here! Apply now!” Or if they do, it would probably be best to run in the opposite direction.

“Will this aid in my self growth and finally allow me to relax into my own happiness?”

When you have lived a large chunk of your life in and out of bouts of depression and anxiety, it adds pressure to life decisions or risks you want to take. Will this be the thing that sends me over the edge? Will this aid in my self growth and finally allow me to relax into my own happiness? Unfortunately, it is not that simple. It is difficult to know what will make us happy in the future because we only know what has made us happy in the past. We gather the data from previous trials and errors and hope that this can be applied to the future choices we make. When it comes to a situation that we haven’t experienced yet, our minds run wild trying to determine how we should continue to move forward. The “what if” scenarios multiply by the second, overwhelming us with worries about future events that have not even taken place yet.

“Perhaps its understanding that if something doesn’t work out, it is the stepping stone to the path that is truly meant for you”

Although this may seem like a disadvantage when jumping into the unknown, it actually is very helpful and has been beneficial to us as a species. It prevents us from hurting ourselves and others, we learn from our mistakes and grow as people. So maybe it isn’t about choosing the “perfect ' path” and praying it works out. Perhaps its understanding that if something doesn’t work out, it is the stepping stone to the path that is truly meant for you. Not a step backwards, but a leap forwards. People change. Dreams change. If something makes you gravely unhappy you can always leave and do something else. There is always a solution.

“If dreams weren’t meant to be followed, then how would we make the transformation from who we are, to who we want to be?”

Try something once, trying something twice, and if it still isn’t working - pivot. Life is too damn short to not pursue your dreams and feel happiness. No they aren’t too high, no they aren’t impossible. But don’t shoot for the moon and be okay with landing on the stars. Listen to the little voice inside your head and trust your gut. Take that leap of faith into the abyss. Understand that no matter what happens YOU WILL BE OKAY. I repeat. YOU. WILL. BE. OKAY. Happiness will come. It’s not about how you fall, it’s about how you get back up. As the great Maya Angelou once said, “But still, like air, I’ll rise”. If dreams weren’t meant to be followed, then how would we make the transformation from who we are, to who we want to be?