As I was drifting into the dream world last night, I started thinking about dreams.  Not the crazy stuff you see when you're sleeping, but those goals, items, places that you dream about completing, having, or going to.  I remember growing up with very few dreams.  I didn't really know what I wanted to do or where I wanted to go, but I knew that I had potential in me to go far.  It took meeting my wife to really understand what it was like to chase dreams.

It's interesting how the universe works.  Without going into debate material, it almost seems like when you get on the right track, everything going forward is smooth sailing.  Of course smooth is a relative term, it's not all unicorns and rainbows, there's challenges along the way that you have to deal with.  But the challenges are meant to prepare you for the future, and as you approach and defeat more challenges, the better off you'll end up.

There's a distinct difference between wild dreams and realistic dreams.  People can dream about being a big movie star, singer, pro baseball player, but the chances of actually being able to chase and be successful are slim.  I'm not saying that you shouldn't have these kinds of dreams, however it's going to be riddled with many more challenges than a more realistic dream.  I feel that realistic dreams are actually a series of smaller goals to achieve.

I've always worked backwards for goals, starting with the ending and working to fill in the gaps in order to reach the beginning.  It's always provided a precise pathway to achieving the end result.  Once it's outlined it's easier to come up with alternatives should anything go awry.

When I first met Karen, a change began to happen in me.  I saw a clearer future than I had ever seen before.  I got the confidence in my ability to act upon dreams.  I rose from my financial apocalypse and was able to focus on where we actually wanted to be.  It started moving into an apartment in Lexington then planning the interstate move to North Carolina.  I never thought I'd actually leave Lexington, it was never a possibility.  But I was able to realize there's more to the world.  My dream all along was to have a life of my own, one that I built, not one that was provided.  And as the time passes I've realized how I want my life to be constructed.  I'll keep chasing dreams, each one marking a new floor on the tower that I'm building.  Be it a new locale, a new business, or new carpet, I'll be able to say that this was my dream, one that I dreamed.