Post-it Note Dreams

Remember when you were little and every adult asked you what you wanted to be when you grew up?

And they would laugh at you and think it was cute when you said you waned to be a lion tamer or a rock star or you wanted to change the world.

But they never believed anything you said.

The older you got, the less you believed it, too.

Because you saw what they saw long before you.

That the world was harsh and painful.

That people didn’t care about your dreams or aspirations.

That you really weren’t that special little snowflake you thought you were.

And you let those dreams go, slipping through your hands because they were “unrealistic,” “unattainable,” and they “wouldn’t get you anywhere.”

And now, here you are, years later.

Possibly doing something you hate with your life but still dreaming those little kid dreams.

Potentially living a content life, where you aren’t really sad, but you also aren’t really happy.

Or, possibly, you see people pursuing things that make them come alive, and you can never have joy for them because all you can think is how what they’re doing is unrealistic, unattainable.

How it won’t get them anywhere, anyway, so they should just stop wasting their time and do something more contributory towards society.

Because you’ve buried any dreams you’ve started to have so you wouldn’t have to face the feeling of not fulfilling them.

Now, I don’t say any of this to discourage, disappointment, or to place blame.

After all, we can only do the best we know how with what we’ve been given.

I do say this to encourage you to follow any dream that captivates your heart, no matter how silly or stupid you may think it is.

No matter how ridiculous, unlikely, little, or big, your dream is important.

And it really is never too late to make it happen.

Look at the guy who made post-it notes.

Imagine what adversities he faced when he told people he had a dream of making paper with a sticky-strip that was both adhesive and removable.

I guarantee people thought he was a loon.

And plenty of people probably couldn’t understand his obsession to figure this out.

How would this really help anyone?

How we do things now is just fine.

It’s insignificant- just another way to leave a message.

Can’t he do something that contributes more to society and stop sticking his head in the clouds?

But you know what?

That man didn’t give up.

And I don’t know about you, but post-it notes make my job significantly easier.

Sure, they may not have solved world hunger, but they minimize stress and can be used to brighten peoples’ days with sweet notes (or in my case, make medication lists for my patients or hold important orders from a physician in the middle of a life-threatening event).

And in the end, it’s really not the sticky notes that matter.

It’s the process.

It’s staying patient, leaning in, trusting your journey.

It’s knowing that, no matter what your dream, having the courage to follow it and to be all in while pursuing it, that changes people.

And it changes you.

You may go through several dreams.

It may take five or twelve or two-hundred seventy-eight before you find the dream that makes you come fully alive.

And your dreams may seem silly to you.

Because they aren’t as “big as they’re supposed to be.”

Because who else really cares this much about becoming a mom or winning the national rock-paper-scissors tournament or being the first person to hula-hoop the entire length of the Great Wall without stopping?

Probably no one.

Because it’s your dream.

It’s your journey to share with the world.

And even if no one else cares, it’s worth pursuing.

It’s worth it because it makes you feel fulfilled.

It gives you a sense of purpose.

It makes you smile.

And the ability to smile with a truly full, fulfilled heart is an accomplishment far greater than most any thing else you can obtain.