I have a friend who, for the past few years, has committed to posting on her blog every weekday. That's hundreds of posts each year for the past few years. I don't always catch every post, but today's post hit me between the eyes, so I thought I'd share it with you.
The little girl in the video says she wants to be a fairy when she grows up. Her uncle tries in a number of ways to convince her that fairies aren't real and that she couldn't possibly grow up to be one. But it got me to thinking about how kids see the world, and I posted this comment on Pam's page:
What if we all came to this earth knowing exactly what we're supposed to be about, but our limited grasp of language forces us to use words like "fairy" because they are the closest words that this world can relate to?
What if, because of that limitation, the "grown ups" around us started foisting their disbelief upon us, and because they're older, "wiser" and the people we're supposed to look up to, we begin to believe them over our divine gifts?
I think you can look around the world and see very clearly how that all turns out.
One of the cool things about living in this time is that our kids are MUCH more empowered (for better and worse), and have a clear sense of who and what they are about in the world (again, for better and worse), from which they are much harder to dissuade. I'm excited to be living now and seeing what kind of a commotion we can bring when we all turn back toward our child-selves and reconnect to what we're really on this planet for.
So to that child I say this: I see you. I know what you're trying to be about in this world. I know it's hard, and I know sometimes it feels like no one - not even the people you love most - believes in you. It's not their fault. They were born into a time and place where dreams like yours seemed impossible. They haven't faced the truth of our changing world - a truth that you can clearly see.
You were born in a generation that doesn't get it. Some of them may even be your close friends or family.
Don't be mad at them. Don't pity them either, because they were once like you. They dreamed big dreams, and people they admired tried to silence their dreams, too. There's too much fear, too much frustration, and this quest for "safety" has flooded those people - people who once dreamed the way you dream - with other priorities in their lives.
They may yet get back to their dreams one day.
It may be hard to see yourself ever becoming the swashbuckler, the wizard, or the fairy princess you were born to be. But know this: you are already there. I see it every time you step in to help a friend in distress, every time you innovate, every time you make someone else's dream come true. Don't give up on your dreams. They are worth it because they are the reason you're here.
I think it was Marie Forleo who said that God doesn't make extra people just for kicks. Everyone is here for something important, and even if the world was filled with fairies, none of them would be exactly like you (didn't you watch The Tooth Fairy?).
Whatever they are, they're yours. No one can take them from you unless you allow them to. Don't allow them to.
They don't make sense sometimes. And that's okay, because maybe part of your journey is to help the world understand. Steven Spielberg couldn't have co-founded DreamWorks had Edison not been born first, or if guys like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates had not first innovated computer technologies. Can you imagine how crazy any of them would have seemed in daVinci's time?
Be daring, courageous and take calculated risks. Be unafraid of your dreams. Because if you're afraid of them, how the rest of the world will respond?
Be willing to die for your dreams, because honestly, that's the only reason you're alive in the first place.
You were designed the way you are - quirks and all - because that's the best way for could to bring your true voice into the world. Embrace your quirks. Love yourself authentically.
Even if you fall, trust the process. Even when others crack jokes or think you're crazy, see your bigger vision. In this world, you've got to crawl before you can walk, and walk before you can run. And learning to ride a bike usually comes with a few scrapes and bruises. That's the investment you're willing to make that others call crazy. Trust yourself.
That's why I'm on this planet. Me and lots of other people like me. We're pursuing our own dreams and in the process, we've become midwives to your dreams, too. It's a little crazy and frenetic at times, but we get it, and we kind of like it that way. Don't let your dreams get lost. Own them. Build them. Bring them into reality the best way you know how. Reach out for help. Because for as many people out there that would call you crazy, there are just as many people like us who are here to cheer you on.
Take a moment and share what your dream is in the comments below. I'd love to help cheer you on!
If you're ready to step up and own your dreams, I invite you to join us for our Dream Big Breakthrough which begins March 1.