“You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.” Famous lines from John Lennon that can be heard in advertisements all over the world. This and so many other inspirational posters and advertisements always telling us to “Dream Big” and to “Follow Your Dreams!” With these messages pushing us along, we can sometimes feel like we have no other choice other than to come up with grand plans and have big ideas for our future. Having big dreams is great, but it is also alright to reach for smaller goals.

If you’ve ever heard me talk about my life plan, you may be thinking to yourself, “Courtney, you have some of the biggest dreams out there, how are you going to tell people about having little dreams?” Well, dear reader, I will have you know that before I came up with my grandiose life plan that ends with me opening my own art therapy center, I had much smaller, simpler dreams. Dreams that revolved around making it through high school, and being able to rely on myself when I needed it the most. I set small, reachable goals that would help me get closer and closer to the big goals. I may have big, slightly outlandish dreams, but I consider myself an expert on the small and sensible dreams, too.

Sometimes it’s all you can do to get out of bed in the morning. For those of you who struggle with mental illness, I know it’s hard sometimes; your dreams of being able to take care of yourself are not too small. You can dream to be able to buy that big cup of coffee from your favorite coffee shop with your next paycheck, or to finally have something meaningful to say to your co-workers during the weekly meeting. Any dream that is important to you is never going to be too small. Any dream can lead to another dream, and another, until you end up like me with this huge dream that you know you can accomplish. Dreams don’t have to be fantasies that never become reality, if you work a little at a time, you will be able to accomplish even the biggest dream you can muster.

So here’s a challenge, fellow dreamers: think of the big dream everyone has been telling you to go after, and break it down.

1. Is it even your dream, or is it what others are saying you should do? Nothing makes a dream seem farther away than when you don’t want to go after it in the first place.

2. What are some small steps you can take to get yourself on track to achieving that big ol’ dream of yours?

3. Where is there room to wiggle? No plan can be set in stone, because we never know what may happen. So figure out what can be changed, and how much you are willing to compromise without letting your happiness suffer.

Everyone has dreams, and dreams are just like the people that hold them: diverse and beautiful in their own way. I hope you cherish your small dreams, and know that it’s okay to chase after butterflies even when everyone else seems to be fighting dragons.