It will come as no surprise to anyone that I’m a big dreamer. I love to imagine what could be and how I could get there. No matter how “unrealistic” it seems, having dreams and turning them into achievable goals gives me a reason to get up in the morning and apply myself.
One of my friends asked me “what would you do if money didn’t matter?” I think that question is important for everyone to ask themselves, no matter where they are in their career. It’s the gateway to finding out what truly fulfills you. I answered by saying “I would still do journalism” because I’m truly passionate about it. While everyone should say their career is the answer to that question, I’m not naive. I know some professionals are horribly underpaid and some careers are genuinely unattainable, but that doesn’t mean we should stifle our dreams. We should try to figure out what we like about that “dream” job and find something that retains those elements.
Also, your dream may not be a job. It may be a family, a trip, an object, or anything else. That dream is still worth chasing. There’s so much value in having something to chase no matter what it looks like.
But, you have to know yourself well enough to know what you want. How are you supposed to find fulfillment in life if you don’t know yourself? That’s why I believe introspection is so important. When I was at my worst (so far) it was because I didn’t know myself. I was rapidly changing and had lost parts of myself I loved along the way. What made me feel better was spending time alone with my thoughts and figuring out who I was and who I wanted to be. Just figuring out what I wanted made me so much more self assured and happy. It gives you something to hold on to and carry through life.
It also has made me so much happier. I got immense joy from knowing I was working towards something. In my opinion, that’s what life is about, finding joy in the journey to becoming the person you dream about.
Until next time,
Ella Greene
