Is it Still Worth Having Dreams?

Josh here. I’ve been doing some reflecting lately on goals, dreams, motivations, and purpose and wanted to share this with you. I hope it’s helpful.

I remember I was at some city event where I live. Some kind of city function where there were a lot of people, and of course, there was some live music going on. And I remember thinking to myself as I listened to the band, “Man. I wanna play live music. I could totally do what they’re doing.”

            Then, not long after that, I remember being at a concert for one of my favorite artists (The Gray Havens), and thinking, “Man… I want that to be me. I want to make some live music happen.”

            I knew I had the skills (my undergraduate degree is in music), and I knew I had everything else I needed to make it happen. My goal (or dream, as it were), was to be able to start playing some live music with some friends around my hometown playing some covers, and some of my own originals.

            And so, I began to pursue the endeavor. I started by reaching out to a handful of my musician friends. I was able to find a day and time that worked for everyone to practice once a week, and so we started rehearsing. A couple months later, after sending out a ton of emails to various restaurants and coffee shops, I finally got a response. And it was a yes. It was at a cool coffee shop near downtown Cincinnati called BLOC Coffee. We ended up playing about 3 shows there, and they were a lot of fun.

            Fast forward a few months, and I got asked to play at a local bar where I live after I had sung at a couple open mics there. That was definitely a step up. Way more people were there, and we got a lot more in tips (which was a nice bonus). And then another couple opportunities popped up. One was to play for a new venue called “Electric Alley” in my town, and the other was to play during a city event on the main street.

            Eventually, it dawned on me: I accomplished what I set out to do. All of the networking, talking to people, figuring out band members’ schedules for rehearsals, getting all of the gear to the venue the day of, and then playing a show. I had done it. And let me tell you, it was a fantastic feeling. The vision, the dream I had pictured in my head; that angst of seeing others doing what I wanted to do, had led me to pursue that dream. And it was such a treat to look back on the whole process, and see all of the work that had led up to that point.

            Maybe you have some dreams as well. Maybe you’re actively working towards them. Or maybe you’ve given up on them. Wherever you’re at, I want to encourage you by saying: don’t give up just yet. To answer the question that titles this blogpost, “Is it worth still having dreams?” Yes. Whether big or small; whether you’re playing for thousands of people or just a few dozen, dreams are worth having.

            Dreams give you excitement, energy, and something to work towards. And the satisfaction of reaching the goal is wonderful. Is it scary? Yes. Are there risks involved? Absolutely. But there is no such thing as safe. And I can say from experience, when you’re sitting on the sidelines, watching other people live out their dreams, there is a log of angst and little joy that comes from that. Joy comes from getting off the sidelines, and getting into the game to make your dream happen. So here are a few practical tips I’ve learned from my experience that can maybe help you to pursue your dreams.

1. Figure out what gets you excited.
   1. What do you find yourself daydreaming about? What’s something that gets you really excited and energized when you talk about it? Whatever gets you excited, or whatever produces an energy in you, let that guide you towards what dreams you out got pursue.
2. Ask yourself: Is this achievable for me?
   1. There is such a thing called reality. And as much as I may dream of being an NBA player, at this point in my life and with my height, that ain’t gonna happen (ha!). So it’s important to ask ourselves when setting out to pursue a dream, if it’s feasible, realistic, and possible for us.
3. Come up with a rough plan on how you might see your dream come to fruition.
   1. It doesn’t have to be planned out perfectly, but it can be as simple as writing down a rough plan on how you could get from point A to point B. For me, it involved a.) asking friends to play with me, b.) finding a day and time for a weekly rehearsal, c.) finding a good venue to play at, d.) setting a date for a show, and e.) sending out invites to friends and family to come out to the show. Whatever your dream is, come up with a simple, but concrete plan on how you can make it happen.
4. Let your desire and excitement propel you to seeing your dream come to life.
   1. Don’t get me wrong, we all need discipline at times to make our dreams happen. But if you are really pursuing something that brings you joy and excitement, your to-do list will feel more like a joy, rather than a chore. So make sure you’ve chosen to pursue something that is truly exciting to you.

            There you have it. Now go and dream some dreams, and make it happen!