Forget Your Dream Outcome

And get on your dream journey.

Many of us fall into this trap. We have dreams, and we set goals for ourselves. We want to accomplish things that seem impossible.

That’s what makes them dreams. And, that’s what makes us miserable.

We learn to speak in hypotheticals. We say things like, “if this happens, I will be happy.” Occasionally, it does happen. But what we realize is the moment of joy we waited so long for is so brief. It makes us wonder if it was worth it at all.

We see dreams as a single point in a distant future. We set up binary situations where we either succeed or fail, depending on the outcome.

Why is that?

If you dream big (and you should), you may never achieve it. Meaningful dreams are such because they are incredibly difficult. You understand that’s part of the pursuit, and you fully accept it.

But here lies our problem.

If your happiness depends on an unlikely outcome (i.e. achieving your dreams) then the likelihood of being happy is reliably small.

“The end justifies the means” is the mantra of a person doggedly chasing dreams. They justify all the sacrifices they make to achieve the desired result. They tolerate things that shouldn’t be tolerated. They commit actions that shouldn’t be considered. They compromise far too much for something that may never happen.

We should stop glorifying that sacrifice as something virtuous. It seems foolish to me, and maybe you agree. The prospect of sacrificing all other aspects of your life in the singular pursuit an unlikely outcome sounds more like a nightmare.

So what’s the alternative? Is it to lower your ambitions? I don’t think so. It might be raising them.

How about we make our journey the dream instead?

If people saw the journey as the dream, how differently do you think they would act? How differently do you think they would feel?

You might even say they risk being happy and fulfilled as a default state!

Consider getting on the dream journey, where every action you take gets you closer to what you want (even if that means going backward and encountering setbacks).

Assuming you have your basic needs met, you will struggle to be miserable.

The dream journey doesn’t move towards a singular event. It includes all aspects of your life. It’s not just about being wealthy, healthy, happy, or having great relationships. It’s about balancing all of it, in the proportions that you want.

Having the luxury of actively chasing your dreams is a dream in itself.

You may never get to the dream destination, but it won’t matter because you will enjoy every moment of the journey.