On Dreaming Big
UPDATED AUGUST 2020
As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? Did you want to be an actor/actress? An elite athlete? A firefighter? A veterinarian?
When we’re kids, we dream big.
When we’re kids, we dream big. We see the world and all it has to offer and we run towards it without thinking about obstacles. We don’t worry about “life” getting in the way, or money, or the odds of achieving what we set out to do. We just want it, so we work on what we think will make our dreams come true.
I have been a dreamer for as long as I can remember. I went through phases, like anyone else. I wanted to be a veterinarian for a long time before I realized they have the unfortunate (and necessary) job of sometimes putting animals out of their misery.
I also wanted to be a paleontologist for a bit because I thought it would be awesome to go digging in remote places and discover really old things that no one in the modern world had seen.
But books and writing have always captivated me in a way that nothing else has. To be honest, I can’t imagine loving something (people aside) more than writing and reading. I remember reading my first “chapter book” when I was in kindergarten: In a Dark Dark Room by Alvin Shwartz. To this day I don’t know why, but my favorite of the short stories was “The Green Ribbon.”
I even set up a bookmark business when I was a kid! Everyone else in elementary school was selling bubble gum and erasers for a dime apiece, at least that’s what the going rate was when I was young. Meanwhile, I was selling bookmarks.
I remember sitting and lovingly (painstakingly) drawing them by hand. My parents loved them, and were regular customers, of course. I would even specially make them for people who wanted them and give them as gifts.
“The biggest dream I ever had, though, was to become a writer.”
The biggest dream I ever had, though, was to become a writer. I wanted to see my name on a book. I wanted to do for others what books have always done for me: offer a wonderful reprieve from life for a little while. The best books transport you into their world, and I wanted to create that.
Childhood writing from the year 2000. (And, yes, snow dogs are a thing and they are awesome.)
And I wrote! I wrote like it was my job. Short stories, poems, large pieces of a longer work, and even an entire manuscript for a novel (or what I thought was a novel). I even wrote Fruits Basket fan fiction when I was in high school, to the delight of my friends. We would all trade and tell each other how good our stories were.
And then I went to college. I got lost for awhile and forgot the biggest dream I had been running toward my whole life.
Has that ever happened to you? Where you lost touch of your dreams for awhile?
To say the least, it was disheartening. I would always think about writing but never feel like my ideas were interesting enough.
How could my ideas compete with these intricate fantasy worlds like Lord of the Rings? Or masters of words like Jane Austen?
Hand written manuscripts from (and predating) 2007-2008.
Even with degrees in writing and reading, I’m not sure if I will ever be at “that level.” And that’s okay! I’ve learned over the years that dreaming big doesn’t mean you want to be someone else. It means that you want to be the best version of yourself.
“Dreaming big doesn’t mean you want to be someone else. It means that you want to be the best version of yourself. ”
I don’t have to be Jane Austen or J.R.R. Tolkien to write a book and give people an escape. Being me and writing what I write is enough. If I can make others smile (and myself) with my writing, I am more than okay with that.
The world would be a far less interesting place if we were all talented in the same ways.
So now, after years of my childhood dream being lost to me, I have found that spark and dusted it off. I am once again working toward seeing my name on the cover of a book, and my heart is so very happy about it.
Rachel, Age 4, Writing Already
I’m writing a novel because I am a writer. I always have been, and I always will be. The only difference is that I know now that I can succeed. I have what it takes. And I’m sharing my story of dreaming big because I know I’m not the only writer who has a story like this.
I work with writers all the time who just need someone to believe in them. To show them their own incredible talents & how to use them. It’s an amazing feeling to talk to writers whose words are so powerful. (If this sounds interesting, click here to read more about working with me!)
We are born ourselves, and we discover little bits as we get older and wiser. But, no matter what we find in ourselves, dreams included, we can’t just sit there and assume it’s going to work out. We have to create the circumstances for our dreams to come true.
“We have to create the circumstances for our dreams to come true. ”
That’s what I’m trying to do. Keep dreaming big and making those dreams a reality.
My challenge to you is to think about your biggest dream and figure out one small step you can take today to start making that a reality.
What about you? What were your dreams as a kid? What are your dreams now? Have you dusted any dreams off lately, or thought about it? I’d love to hear about your experiences! Find me on social media, drop a comment below, or email me at rachel@captuingyourconfidence.com!
Let’s chat because you, my friend, are on your way to great writing.