Millennials have been getting a lot of bad press these last couple years. One of the biggest blows I’ve seen them take is their desire to dream big. I’ve seen a lot of convincing articles, vlogs, YouTube videos, and anything else you can think of on why Millennials need to stop living in fairytale land.

Here’s the thing; dreaming big is NOT the problem here. The problem is that these kids were not taught an important thing that goes with dreaming big—and that would be that those dreams take hard work.

There is NOTHING WRONG with dreaming big and wanting to do great things in life. I dream all the time! I have all sorts of things I want to accomplish in my life, I want to make a difference, and I want to be successful. Why on earth would you want to crush those dreams? The difference here is that I was raised to do my share of work.

I’m not the best person in the world. I don’t succeed at everything I do. But, I do MY best and I work hard. I was taught that things don’t just magically get done. Someone has to do them, and I might as well get it done myself. I grew up not being afraid to get my hands dirty and sweat a lot.

Just like with everything else in this world, there is a balance to dreaming big and working hard. Too much dreaming and not enough work makes you stand still staring off at what isn’t there and leaves you with feelings of disappointment, regret, and sometimes bitterness. Too much work and not enough purpose or goals, you end in a similar spot; you’ve not gone anywhere and any motivation you had disappears like a mist. Excessive and/or deficient amounts of either leaves us feeling like we haven’t accomplished anything and there is no point.

But once we even the two out, the possibilities are endless!

Some of my favorite quotes are from Thomas Edison and Albert Einstein .

“I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.” – Edison

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” - Edison

“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.” – Einstein

These men did so much for modern ingenuity and technology. They dreamed big AND they worked hard. Creativity and hands-on labor go hand in hand.

To all the Millennials out there, I want to say this: keep dreaming big. Keep being creative, keep trying to change the world. Just understand that dreaming alone won’t get you anywhere, you’re gonna have to break out the elbow grease and get down in the mud. Yes, hard work is hard and it doesn't look very pretty, but it’s always worth the effort.