It is time for me to combine my goals and dreams. How about you?
Language can be, at times, a perplexing mess. Two people can easily agree on the definition of a particular word. However, the same two people can have entirely different connotations of the exact same word.
What do I mean? For example, you and I could both agree that a suitable definition of the word “cat” is: a small and furry household pet. But upon further examination, our ideas or feelings invoked by the word “cat” could be entirely different. You might hear the word “cat” and think: warm fuzzies, whereas I might hear the same word and think: nasty litter box.
You see, the connotations we have in addition to the literal meaning of words can totally lead to misinterpretations. All that being said, let me refer now to the title of my blog post to clarify its meaning. We may agree on the definitions of the words “goals and dreams,” but we may also perceive them in an entirely different way.
If you feel goals and dreams are synonymous, then you may find this blog post puzzling in nature. Somewhere along my windy road of life I hit a language speed bump and the two words became quite distinct from one another.
To me, a “goal” has become something that is attainable through hard work and perseverance. A “dream,” however, has become something that is not easily attained whether I work hard to achieve it or not. A “dream” has unfortunately turned into this elusive accomplishment that I feel more than likely will not happen no matter what efforts I make. The end result of these connotations: my dreams are separated from my goals and placed in a wastebasket of doubt.
As I said before, it is time for me to combine my goals and dreams. After all, how can I go around telling my children, my students, and even my spouse that their dreams can come true if they work hard enough, when I am not behaving in a manner that is consistent with those words of encouragement?
My dream: to be a published writer. My goal: to be a published writer. Today: the first legitimate day in my pursuit of making this dream come true. Why? Because I will work hard to achieve it, and I will approach it as being attainable.
Thom R. Smith 