Dreams are a funny thing. I recently wrote about practicality as the key to achieving your dreams, but why is it that when we are children we dream of becoming the most impractical professions? What is it about athletes, movie stars/YouTubers, and Musicians that kids gravitate to? In addition, most of our heroes are coincidentally work in those professions that we aspire to be one day.
Children are Pure Potential
When you are born you can be anything. Not in a biological sense ( not everyone can just be 7ft tall), but with what they want to pursue. When you are born anything can happen. The mind of a child is incredibly interesting because of the lack of bias, and the sheer disregard for the impossible. They are allowed to believe whatever they want without any judgment.
They are allowed to believe in Santa, and that superheroes fly around saving people. They are allowed to let their imagination run wild. With very little data that they can be anything, they want to be. Also, it's not even the potential we see in our children, it's before any object starts moving they are just 100% potential.
What would you do if you could do anything? The mind of a child doesn’t have practicality in mind. Why be practical if I can be whatever I want? So they look to Men and Women who leave them in awe. Imagine a child watching a man walking on the moon. They are no thinking of how much fuel it took to get there, or what it smells like up there. To them, it is almost bewildering that someone is walking on the moon. They are allowed to reach for the stars without any consequences.
Our Dreams become more Refined
Pure Potential stays with us for a really short period of time. As we get a bit older we develop interests. Some love to play basketball, some like to sing, but all become a bit more focused on their passions. We Reinforce our passions by looking to people who great at what we love to do. Kobe Bryant was an idol to most who played the game growing up. We want to sing like Beyonce, and one day does that in front of a crowd of Thousands.
The wonder and potential we had when we wanted to walk on the moon can be held on for a bit longer.” There is Kobe playing in the NBA, that will be me someday.” There is proof of concept. Not only do we want to play basketball, but there’s Kobe, playing on TV every weekend.
Children Look Up To People who Follow Their Dreams
If I could make one point, or refine what I want to say it would be that Children look up to people who followed their dreams. I heard that somewhere and I can’t find who said that, but I found it incredibly intriguing. We look up to the people who broke through and got to live the dream they envisioned for themselves.
Once we get a bit older, a lot of our potential turns into doubt. We start to hear no a lot. we hear how hard it is to be on TV or play in the NBA. We start to maybe change our dreams to accommodate reality. We start wanting to become doctors and lawyers. It's something attainable, the probability is on your side.
There is a theme that you see in movies of the hero who wins in the end. Our Idols are those Heros personified. The only difference is that they real. they are in front of us being the best at what they do. I think that is something attractive for all of us.
Self Expression and Creativity Exist In All Of Us
Might seem out of the left-field, but follow me for a second. As a child, one of the biggest themes of growing up is finding their personal Identity. I think when we look at our favorite celebrity or athlete, we are not looking at their roles or the last game they played. We know them as a separate entity that there fame propelled them to. I can tell you Kobe, and will know who he is. he built that identity and persona.
I think we want to find out who we are, and I also think we try to express ourselves as much as we can. We try to always build our own identity. People love to express their unique identity through clothes, food, and even customizing cars.
Of course I subscribe to the notion that creativity lives in all of us, and as we grow older we opportunities to be creative show up in non-traditional ways. once we have decided we won’t become painters, directors, or other direct creative pursuits, we can see people expressing themselves creatively. Just because we don’t have a direct professional connection to creativity, it seems to pop up in our lives.
We might become hobbyist. I love to draw, and I do it everyday. I don’t get paid for it, but it causes me happiness beyond imagination. There is a huge community who love to cook and express themselves that way. the hobbyist integrates their passions and creative expression within their lives. It’s amazing.
There are also people who integrate that self expression in their daily lives. People get tattoos, people dress a certain way, and also customize their belongings. It’s all part of that mission to express themselves, and create their identity.
Finding Ourselves
We started out with a dream. For whatever reason that changes with experience and trying new things. As Children we are looking for that identity. We are looking to do something that brings us joy all the time. We are looking to express ourselves. As time goes on and we need to enter the real world we hold on to passions, and try to etch our mark in this world.
SideNote: I don’t know if this piece even makes sense. I really tried to explain my idea the best I could, but there is so much to unpack that I think this might be to shallow. Any hoo. Thanks for reading.