I’ve considered myself a dreamer for as long as I can remember. When I was in elementary school, I had dreams of becoming an astronaut who would roam the vast depths of space exploring the unknown. Early in high school, those dreams evolved into something a little more realistic. I aspired to graduate with a respectable GPA and attend college, where I would be able to pursue whatever I was passionate about. During my junior and senior years of high school, my dreams got bigger. I decided that investment banking and finance were two things that intrigued me, and I wanted to apply to universities with top business programs so my dreams could come to fruition. Fast forward to my freshman year of college, and I’m still dreaming. I want to impact and influence the world in a positive way, have a thriving career, and explore and learn everything.

It’s easy to sit around and babble on about our dreams all day. We can craft a game plan, talk about why we dream the way we do, figure out how to avoid all the obstacles that may come our way; that’s easy. But how many of us actually work towards our goals and pursue everything we said we wanted. I’m guilty of it too.

I would sit and talk to my friends about all these crazy ideas I had and how I wanted my life to be picture perfect. But what exactly did I do to get myself to where I wanted to be? Talking about it isn’t going to make it happen. I knew exactly what I wanted down to every single detail, but I was scared. Terrified, actually. I didn’t know how hard it would be, and I was too embarrassed at even the mere idea of myself failing. How could I face my family and friends? Would they even still respect me? I had programmed my mind to think that the potential of failing outweighed the potential of success. And thus, my dreams were nothing more than just dreams.

I know I’m not the only one that’s gone through this. Letting your dreams just be dreams is easier than making them a reality. In fact, it’s too easy. We conjure up all these ideas and fears in our head, telling ourselves we have no actual chance at successfully pursuing our dreams. Dreams are not meant to be this intangible idea. Don’t sell yourself short and neglect everything that you are capable of; you’re doing yourself an injustice. Take that extra second today and realize what your dreams really are, think of how you’re going to get yourself there, and (spoiler alert) get started!

What we put in is what we get out, so invest in yourself and your dreams. Regardless of what happens, you’ll gain knowledge and experience. And that is priceless.

Happy Dreaming!