A Life of Regret or the Risk of a Sting?

Lately, I've been trying to follow my own advice and actively seek out my dreams. Dreams cannot be made into a reality if we only daydream about them every day, after all. To get anywhere, sometimes we need to be brave and take a leap of faith.

The problem, of course, comes when you take that leap of faith and everything falls apart. At the risk of being humiliated, I think it's fair to say that I've taken a few bold steps and done my absolute best these last few months to achieve my dreams. The issue still remains though and I feel further away from this dream than ever before―and more humiliated, too. Putting all of your cards on the table is a risky little thing to do and there is a part of me already regretting it. A wise person told me yesterday that they would do anything to make their dreams become a reality. They were quite right and you should follow your dreams...but I guess you should know when to stop, too.

At least I can honestly say I've done everything in my power now. It seems cruel that one can work so hard at achieving something and gain no ground at all. If a compromise or glimmer of hope could be given, it would be enough. Except that's not the way the world works―and that's okay. I've still done my best and I can hold my head up high. I didn't give in or give up; I kept trying to make things work. Maybe, in the end, I've been stronger than I ever dreamed.

I know I can be happy, no matter what happens, but building confidence in hope again is a tricky little project when everything seems to be driving in the opposite way. Thankfully, I'm scrappy enough to keep charging on even when the going gets tough. I'm not going to be afraid of stings, not when the only other option is to look back later in life and wonder if I could have done more. See, pain is temporary...but regret gnaws away at you if you let it.

The Christmas magic is still in the air. Perhaps things didn't quite work out for me on this particular occasion but there's still hope for you guys. Make it happen and be proactive. Actively seek out the future you want and make it happen. If other people in the world are finding happiness then there's no reason why you shouldn't be either. Live in hope and actively achieve your dreams.

It's your dream. Only you can make it a reality. Let go of any fear and expect the best for yourself.

Top 10 Inspirational Quotes

These are just some of the quotes that have helped to pick me up in the past when I've been flagging. I hope they inspire you just as much.

1. "I was always looking outside myself for strength and confidence, but it comes from within. It is there all of the time."
―Anna Freud

2.  "In any project the important factor is your belief. Without belief, there can be no successful outcome."

―William James


3. "You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
 ―Gandhi

4. "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do, so throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, Dream, Discover."
―Mark Twain 


5. "The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any."
 ―Alice Walker 


6. "In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure."
  ―Bill Cosby 

7. "So comes snow after fire, and even dragons have their endings."
―J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit


8. "It is never too late to be what you might have been."
 ―George Eliot 


9. "Hold fast to dreams,
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird,
That cannot fly."
―Langston Hughes

10.  "The greatest disease in the West today is not TB or leprosy; it is being unwanted, unloved, and uncared for. We can cure physical diseases with medicine, but the only cure for loneliness, despair, and hopelessness is love. There are many in the world who are dying for a piece of bread but there are many more dying for a little love. The poverty in the West is a different kind of poverty -- it is not only a poverty of loneliness but also of spirituality. There's a hunger for love, as there is a hunger for God."
― Mother Teresa

Christmas Magic

Christmas Day is almost upon us. As I write this post to you, the presents have already been stacked under the tree and the last of the pre-Christmas preparations finished. There's something a little bit magical in the air around Christmas Eve and I can't quite shake the feeling that something good is coming my way. Earlier misgivings are fading and giving way to a renewed feeling of hope and love.

 

I choose to believe in the magic of wishes. With the fire place aglow and a plate full of steaming hot mince pies awaiting me, I'm going to take a few minutes to make a wish on whatever Christmassy star is shining outside. The true magic of Christmas is in the spirit of believing; if you believe in miracles then anything can happen.

Last Christmas, I got one of the biggest miracles I'd ever asked for by being positive and believing. Perhaps you'll be lucky enough to get your wish this year if you do the same. It might not always come in the way you expect but things have a way of working out.

That being said, sometimes you've also got to know when to stop chasing a dream. If you're persistently being blocked then maybe there's a reason for that. If your dream involves someone else then remember that you cannot be the only person to put in all of the effort. Sometimes a little help has to come from the other person—and if they can't do that, or aren't even willing to try, then move on and find yourself a new dream. You are worth more. You might not believe it... but you are. If one dream isn't working out for you then build yourself a better one.

Believe in the magic, make a wish, dare to dream...and have a wonderful Christmas.