I've found myself constantly writing the word "dream" when I begin writing blog posts lately. There must be some sort of subliminal message here- I just haven't found it yet.

Perhaps the reason i keep writing the word dream is that dreaming is such a vital part of my life. I rarely think about the past, and I'm often accused of not being aware of the present. Dreaming is one of my favorite past times- the unknown of what could be is the greatest inspiration for what I'm doing today.

I've noticed that there are two kinds of dreaming:

1. Fanciful ideas that you never accomplish.

2. Dreams you quantify, plan for, and achieve.

Both are vital to a creative- without the ability to construct fictional ideas of how you'd like your life to be, no matter how crazy they may seem, you'll live a relatively uninspired, unimaginative life. If you only create imaginary futures that are never pursued, you will never accomplish anything.

Sadly, most people never learn how to do the 2nd form of dreaming. It's much simpler to let the limitations of today crush any hopes for the dreams of tomorrow, keeping you from believing a dream is even possible.

I talked with a friend of mine the other day in a Walmart checkout line. She had dropped out of school, and really had no idea what she wanted to do with her life. She'd gotten the job at Walmart because it was the easiest thing to do. She was completely lost, directionless. I felt for her- I've been there more times than I like to admit.

There's nothing wrong with working at Walmart, or dropping out of school for that matter. The thing that broke my heart for my friend was that she had lost her dream. Dreams are so powerful that they motivate us to keep on living. They inspire us, challenge us, and hold us accountable. They're the reason we keep going. Time spent dreaming is never wasted.