On Pursuing Dreams and Taking Advice

Is it better to pursue dreams, or worry about what others think?

That’s easy. Of course we would rather pursue our dreams. We have more potential that way. Worrying about what others think restricts and inhibits our ability to become who we want to be. There’s always someone just around the corner ready to tell us that the way we think or act is “dumb” or wrong. But who are they to say what makes a good dream or opinion? What qualifications do they have to assert that opinion?

And yet we listen to them all the time.

Discerning opinions

“Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own.” – Anonymous

These opinions come from caring parents, concerned friends, and sometimes complete strangers. We hear them within the home, in a coffee shop, or on the internet. We sometimes take their words as law without finding out why they feel that way. We sometimes kill our own dreams without discovering the person’s credibility.

Choosing the right advice to follow is difficult. Before you let someone’s opinion slow you down, think instead about why it was given. What are the reasons that this person feels that way. Should that reason stop you from trying?

“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.” – Walt Disney