Why I won’t give up on my dreams

And why I love and live my dreams

The first quarter of 2017 is almost over. How much progress are you making with your New Year’s resolutions? Chances are a lot of us have given up on them. “Life got in the way!” or “I wasn’t that interested in it after all.” You’ve heard it before. But I’m not going to wait any longer. I’m going ahead with my resolutions, dreams and plans and so should you!

The lofty dreams

If you’re a bit like me, you probably have a few dreams. At work, we used to call it “blue sky thinking”. What would you do if the sky was the limit? Well, for me, some dreams involve travel to Ecuador and doing the Jason Bourne stunts (yes, you can laugh now). There are also some other plans like enjoying a beautiful dinner at one of the fancy places in town.

The indecisiveness

I had accepted a job in the US with the clear intent to fly to Ecuador from there. After all, the trip would be 8 flying hours shorter and that’s a lot. Throughout all the years there and with very limited vacation days, the trip to Ecuador was postponed from year to year and now, 10 years since I’ve left the US, I still didn’t make it there. (Until today, I still don’t know why the US doesn’t make taking annual leave mandatory but that’s a whole different story.)

The realisation

It became clear to me that Ecuador was a destination I definitely wanted to visit. Yet, it wasn’t high on my agenda. The distance was one that I dreaded, thinking I’d have to spend at least a month in the country to make it worthwhile. While I pursued other trips, I chose other destinations (and friends and family) instead! Seeing 2 of my closest friends get married in Hungary was far more important than visiting a country that will still be there in 10, 20 or 30 years.

I also learnt that my dreams had changed. These days, other dreams have taken a higher priority or require more energy which I don’t want to invest in this trip. A number of other, smaller and easy to achieve dreams and goals have made it on to the dream list. This can be visiting an arts exhibition regardless whether friends will join me, swimming 800 metres around Burj Al Arab or making my first LEGO art sale.

The plan

Ecuador is on the dream list and won’t drop off. As a start, I’ve set up a special savings account for this trip. No longer working for an airline (yes, you follow a dress code when travelling on a substantially discounted staff ticket), I need to pay full fare (yes, I can then wear whatever) and that’s quite a chunk. The first step towards my dream of visiting this fascinating country has been taken.

In the meantime, I’ll be enjoying my smaller dreams, goals and plans become reality. The dinner at Pai Thai was fantastic and we enjoyed a beautiful night out.

What big dream do you have and which ones have you already seen come to fruition? I’d love to hear what keeps you going!

Until next time,
Agni

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