Allow yourself to dream again

I used to dream a lot when I was younger. Words like frustration or disillusionment had yet to enter my vocabulary and, in many ways, life was easier. I basically had a single job growing up: dreaming and hoping for the future (believe me, I was rather good at it!). But time passed and I made my way through adulthood. I learned that you have to be realistic if you don't want to get your ass kicked. Dreaming is something for kids, so we should just grow up at some point, shouldn't we?

Should we just grow up? No.

I had never thought I would stop dreaming. Ever since my childhood, I couldn't help but let ideas flow into my head days and night. Whether projects, songs, articles or even business ideas, nothing seemed impossible as long as I was determined to do it. People used to ask how I had so much energy and I would just reply that "I believe in the future and if I want something, I will get it no matter how hard I have to work."

Dreaming is not just something that happens to us passively when we go to sleep, it’s a choice, a desire: to believe in the future and what might be waiting for us.

Yet, somehow life got in the way. I handed up the wheels of my life to doubt, stress, and apprehension. What's the point of running when better, smarter, healthier people compete against you? It's nice to look at space but what if you were not born to reach the stars ?

Allow yourself to dream again

Stop being your own worst critic

"When did you stop believing in yourself ?" The greatest wake-up call came with this innocent yet deep question from a friend a few months ago. I had just shared with her my idea of applying for a new school* along with doubts that I would ever get in.

"Stop doubting yourself all the time, just wake up and notice your own talent, your own cleverness and do something with it. You shouldn't keep hiding down my own worth just to help others shine."

Although I’m not sure she remembers or even noticed what she told me, the idea stuck with me to this day.

Let's chat

So, as I'm writing the last words of this post I have a question for you: when you will close your eyes tonight and let the world disappear behind your eyelids, will you allow yourself to dream?

PS: Oh, and spoiler alert: I did get in the school I was dreaming about! I'm now a student of Polytechnique Montréal, Canada.