Have you encountered this conversation before? It goes something like this. You ask the question, “How are you?” And the person you’re talking to responds, “I’m just livin the dream.”  

I think to myself, “Really?” And recently I’ve decided to express that thought in words. “Really? What’s going on? What’s your secret?” Just a few probing questions reveals what’s really beneath that statement, more than a touch of sarcasm. In fact, I’ve yet to come across someone who actually means what they’re saying when they say they’re “livin the dream.” 

Why is it that we’re so good at dreaming when we’re kids? A favorite questions to ask a child is what they want to do or be when they grow up. It’s fun to listen as a child’s imagination runs wild. As students approach high school graduation, the question is asked again, but this time with a little more pressure. “So what are your plans after high school? What college are you planning to attend? And what if you don’t know what’s next or you’re not even considering college? For those attending college, the question resurfaces as they close in on earning their degree. “What are your plans after graduation? Do you have a job lined up? “. The pressure from others, as well as the pressure we put on ourselves doesn’t mix well with continuing to dream. We start feeling like we need to meet a lot of other peoples’ expectations for our lives, not just our own.

So what do we do with all of this? Personally, I think we start a revolution. As adults, let’s commit to dreaming again no matter what season of life we’re currently in. Let’s not keep putting it off until we’re older, nearing retirement, or retired. Let’s get excited right now about what’s next for us. Let’s begin carving out more time to dream. Let’s initiate conversations with our spouses, partners, friends, and family members about our vision, dreams, passions, and purpose, and even our fears, and in doing so determine how we can best support each other in living it all out.

When someone asks us how we’re doing, what if we could answer with truth and certainty that we’re “livin the dream” with no hint of sarcasm? That we’re “livin the dream” because we’ve started allowing ourselves to dream again. That we made a decision to start living our best life now. That we’re choosing to enjoy every part of the journey. That we’re stepping out of our comfort zone and saying “yes” to things we didn’t think were possible. That we’re learning from the challenges and the setbacks. That we’re carving out time in the pockets of our day to start dreaming and making progress because we’ve realized that there’s never going to be a large chunk of time in our foreseeable future to make it all happen. That we discovered that the time to dream, plan and begin taking action to live out our dreams is now.

What about you? Are you willing to take a step toward the future that you want for yourself? What does that look like for you? Remember, there’s no age limit on dreaming. And there’s no size limit either, so dream big!