Dreams: A desired goal or purpose.

“I want to be a doctor when I grow up…”

“I want to be a lawyer in future…”

And so on.

These are dreams many of us can relate to very well. We probably had similar aspirations growing up. But how many of us eventually became exactly what we said we wanted to be as children?

Some of us didn’t become our childhood aspirations, not because we suddenly hated them, but because somewhere along the way, we began realizing a lot of things.

Dreams play a very vital role in our lives. We need to dream because dreams give us something to aspire to, something to pursue, something to work towards.

But you see… many of us suffer from what I like to call the “too many dreams syndrome.”

And that may be why we sometimes take one step forward and a million steps backward.

We want to be writers.

Entrepreneurs.

Singers.

Doctors.

Lawyers.

Content creators.

Photographers.

And before we know it, we’re trying to do everything at once.

We become the “jack of all trades, master of none” set of people, not necessarily because we lack ability, but because we haven’t learned how to prioritize.

Don’t get me wrong. There is absolutely nothing wrong with having a long list of dreams.

By all means…

Dream big.

Dream wildly.

Dream about all the things you could become.

But then, pause and ask yourself:

What do I have to offer? What skills do I need to develop? What actually matters to me? And most importantly, which one should I pursue first?

Take someone who decides to become a writer simply because they admire iconic writers.

Admiration can inspire you, but it isn’t enough on its own. Writing requires learning, practice, discipline, consistency, and a willingness to improve.

The same applies to someone who dreams of becoming a business tycoon with several businesses.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to build an empire, but perhaps the empire has to start with one business first.

Learn it.

Build it.

Understand it.

Then grow.

After all, Rome wasn’t built in a day.

One step at a time.

I learnt this from my own experience.

I had a blog way before now, and I thought I could combine it with schoolwork. At some point, I even wanted to participate in one of those singing competitions.

Writing.

School.

Singing.

Everything at once.

And guess what?

I couldn’t complete all of them at the same time.

Not because I suddenly lost my love for writing or my voice disappeared, but because I hadn’t learnt to prioritize.

So, I had to look at the list and decide what needed my attention first.

Getting my degree came first.

The rest could wait.

And now, one of those dreams that I had to put on hold (the blog) is something I have started again.

Sometimes, pursuing your dreams isn’t about doing everything immediately.

Sometimes, it is about knowing what comes first.

Even many of the people we admire today, who seem to be doing so many things, started somewhere. They built one thing, learned from it, grew, and then expanded into other things.

The difference isn’t always that they had fewer dreams.

Sometimes, they simply had a scheme.

And by scheme, I mean a systematic plan of future actions.

Because many of us have too many dreams but not enough scheme.

And without some form of direction, all those dreams can quickly become confusion, unfinished projects, and a long list of things we once wanted to do.

So, by all means, dream.

Write the list.

Dream about the book.

The business.

The degree.

The music.

The travel.

The big life.

But don’t forget to prioritize.

Choose what comes first.

Give it your attention.

Take it one step at a time.

Then, when you’re ready, move on to the next.

You don’t have to achieve every dream at once.

Lest I say too much, my hand don dey pain me sef. lol

The conclusion of this whole gist is simple:

Dream big. But dream with direction.

Because a dream gives you something to pursue, but a plan gives you somewhere to start.

And remember:

If you can dream it, you can most definitely work towards achieving it.

One dream.

One step.

One day at a time.