The Money Behind A Dream
I think one thing that people struggle with when it comes to dreams, especially when making that list of 100, is that they end up feeling very materialistic. Most people want to stay away from that feeling. It’s not like materialistic people have ever been represented as the good guys in any show we’ve seen. I want to explain some of the reasons this happens, though, and what it all points back to so that maybe you will be encouraged to continue making that list.
Part of that comes from the fact that when we talk about 100 dreams, we have to get down to the nitty-gritty details. It can’t just be “live in my dream house.” It has to go even deeper to figure out the bedrooms, bathrooms, and square footage. We have to know whether we have a pool, farmhouse sink, or NBA-style training gym in the basement. It isn’t just “I want to take care of my kids for the rest of their lives.” We have to get into what that means, like paying for college, providing a down payment for a house, or signing them up for every after-school activity they want.
It can start to feel like money is the only thing we are thinking about. First and foremost, we must understand that the roots of these dreams are often much deeper than the price tag attached to them. For example, a dream house may be more about the people we can host and the life we can live within it. Or the dream of paying for club soccer comes from wanting to encourage our kid’s passion.
The second reason this happens is that, frankly, we live in a materialistic world. One of the results of a capitalist society is that everything comes back to money. I’m not here to argue about the correct political system that we should be under. My husband could certainly argue about that better than I. Regardless, we must accept that things in our life cost money, and even the sentimental and sincere things are rooted in financial means of achieving.
Here’s what this means for us as dream chasers: we have to accept that money is a piece of the process, but the integrity of a dream is never dampened by the process that it takes to achieve it (granted, this is not an all clear on illegal and inhumane actions in the name of good dreams). And here’s what that means for us as dream achievers: we have to have a source of income to support our dreams.
Now, I know that sounds rich, coming from a primarily stay-at-home mom. I make a little for the accountability program I run, but that doesn’t come anywhere close to dream-achieving money (although, one day, I am quite confident it will). One day, I believe my dream of writing and speaking will provide the income I hope to have. But that is one-day money. And I do not recommend spending “if-come” although I have certainly made that mistake myself. So, we, as dream-chasers, have three choices:
1. Get a day job
Often, this isn’t a job that we love. It is definitely not a job that we hate. This usually exists as a neutral in our lives. Sometimes we have bad days, and sometimes we have good days, but overall, it is a positive in our life. Even if the day-to-day work isn’t a dream come true, we do find some fulfillment in the job we are doing. That fulfillment exists even if it only comes from the fact that this funds our dreams.
2. Get our dream job
Sometimes, the job is the dream. Plenty of people dream of being doctors who heal the sick, lawyers who protect the innocent, and firefighters who save the day when all hope is gone. This may be the ideal solution, but it does require loving our job, which can be hard to come by. It doesn’t mean that every day is perfect or fun, but it does mean that we love it and can’t imagine anything else.
3. Build a dream we love with an income attached
This is the primary method that I am using. As of right now, we exist as a single-income family, which does limit our options. I am working, planning, and hoping that one day the work I do here will help me achieve those dreams. The biggest downside to this option is that we usually have to wait for our dreams to catch up to our financial goals. We have to remain consistent and faithful to our dreams for them to catch up to our goals.
As much as number three is my primary focus, I will add option one once we move to Georgia. My dreams are big and small, meaning I need the finances to back them up. It may not be ideal that money is required to achieve most of our dreams. But that is the world we live in, and we must make choices based on that. Personally, I believe that my dreams are worth waiting on, but I also have it in my power to add some extra income that might bring them to life sooner. There’s no correct answer, only the answer that is right for you.