What's The Point Of A Dream With A Nightmare Journey?

Follow your dreams, they said.

Chase your passion and the money will follow, they said.

The question is... who is "they". 

Are "they" descendants of an ultra rich family who have never worked a day in their life yet find it fitting to dole out real-word advice? 

Are they sitting in their yachts, sipping champagne, and in any position to give anyone relatable, practical, and worldly advice?

The answer is a resounding NOPE.

Yet, because these are the words that give out impressions of hope and motivation, we swallow them up and use it as our life's new mantra. 

If "they" can do it, so can we.

Except, you're not the one with the million bucks sitting in your bank account. Your safety net isn't even a net. It's two strings attacked precariously together and under constant stress. One tiny movement, and it snaps!

But we all dream anyway. We have aspirations. We always strive for a better life, and naturally, it includes a roof over your head, a super supportive family, a job you love, and plenty of savings to see you through old age.

So we go after what we think is our calling. We spend years chasing after dreams that monetarily and mentally depletes us. Yet, we remind ourselves of quotes by famous people. Never give up. Always follow your passion. If you dream it you can do it.

Not one of these quotes points out how hard it is. How resilient you have to be. How much time and energy you have to sacrifice.

Do you think you're good at something? Guess what? Someone is way better than you. And they have the luck and financial backing to make their dream come true.

They are so lucky, they can afford to have two or three dreams because guess what, the real luck is the money they have to spend chasing their dreams.

So while you survive on stale vread and water, they are out there in their fancy rooms, feasting on gourmet meals, flying first class, and showing the whole world how they are actively pursuing their dreams.

But you don't even have enough money to spend on a good data plan that allows you to record your daily struggles and post it online for sympathy and support.

Then there's family. The people who have to support you. It's an unwritten rule that is blatantly scratched out the minute you open yourself up to them.

Tell them you want to enter a creative field and prepare yourself to be relentlessly mocked. 

It's only a hobby. It won't generate a survivable income. You may not have enough talent to make it out there. Luck is everything. Your life is a joke and a mess. Why don't you change careers and do something that will guarantee a good life.

You will be compelled to ask which career guarantees success and receive a half-baked answer of something that is the opposite of what you want to do.

So...what is the point of a dream with a nightmare journey?

The point is that it consumes you. The drive to actually do what you love is so overwhelming that it makes you miserable. You may be thrown about in different directions throughout your life, but your heart keeps coming back to do the one thing that makes you feel alive. 

You may not have earned a single coin out of it, but it makes you make.

The sad reality, though, is that chasing dreams is a privilege not everyone can afford.