One of the unexpected offshoots of having signed a book deal has been the number of friends who, in the wake of my success, have begun to pursue latent or long-abandoned dreams. Some have returned to unfinished novels of their own, one has begun singing at open mike nights, another has decided to pursue a long-considered side career in modeling. Now, I’m not so vain as to suggest that I inspired them; however, I believe that they must think, “If that idiot can do it, why can’t I?” And they’re right! Not about the idiot part but about the soul-feeding importance of chasing dreams no matter what your age.
Maybe it’s time for you to dust off the goals you shelved years ago when you decided to go back to school, to raise a family, to take a second job, etc. when life got in the way and knocked you back to the rear of the priority line. But, maybe, today is the day to situate yourself in the center of your universe once again. I was thirty-nine when I decided to take a shot at my lifelong dream of being an author. The odds of signing with a mainstream publisher were ridiculously small, but I thought, “What do I have to lose?” For the most part, all I’ve sacrificed is a lot of hours that I would have spent in front of the television.
Your dream doesn’t have to be a dramatic one. It could be the dream of building better relationships with parents or spouses or children, the dream of a more fulfilling love life, the dream of running a 5K, the dream of owning that sports car you’ve had your eye on. The possibilities are endless, but the time in which to make these dreams come to fruition is not.
People, your age, are dying every day. None of them will die wishing for more money or to watch one more hour of television. However, most of them will die wishing for more time. Time, perhaps, to chase the dreams they’d sacrificed to whatever exigencies life laid in their path. So, think about it. What dream deferred is waiting to be fulfilled in your life? I dare you. Go make it a reality.
