The Myth of “Following Your Dreams”

At some point or another, we’ve all been encouraged to “follow our dreams.” But have you ever stopped to consider whether this advice is truly practical or achievable?

In my experience, while the phrase sounds uplifting and well-intentioned, it often leads to more confusion than clarity. Let me explain...

1. People Follow People, Not Dreams

   There is no doubt that we can choose to "follow someone else’s dreams" because people follow people, not dreams per se. Whether it be a celebrity, a political leader, a business founder or entrepreneur, when inspired by someone, followers decide to support that person’s dream in one way or another. However, when it comes to our own dreams, the concept of simply "following" doesn’t apply. In this case, we need to bring our dreams to life!

2. Bringing Your Dream to Life Requires a Process

   Bringing your dream to life is far more challenging than following someone else’s because it demands a unique set of skills, a proactive mindset, and, in most cases, personal commitment and sacrifice.

   Take, for example, my daughter’s recent journey to motherhood...

   After 41 weeks of pregnancy and about 12 hours of labor, on March 3 at 1:23 am, she finally held her precious baby girl in her arms.

   As her father, I believe her dream of becoming a mother started way back when she was a little girl.

   But did it happen automatically or magically after she and her husband decided they were ready to have a baby? Of course not! She had to navigate every moment of the long, often uncomfortable 41-week process—dealing with morning sickness, pain, fatigue, and sleepless nights.

   One might think that enduring 41 weeks of change would make the delivery easier, but the opposite was true. Each minute closer to delivery was harder and more painful. Yet, in the end, it was all worth it.

3. Bringing Recurring Dreams to Life Requires a System

   If you have a dream and want to bring it to life, there will be a process. And if you aspire to realize multiple dreams, you need more than just a process—you need a system.

   You’ve probably heard stories about how having a second or third baby is typically faster than the first. While at the hospital during my daughter's labor, we were reminded of that specific fact by a nurse who shared that just hours earlier, she delivered a baby in the hospital cafeteria because the mother didn’t have time to return to her room. It was her second child.

   While I’m no expert on childbirth, I’m sure we can all agree that doing something for the first time is usually harder than doing it the second time. Even if the process is similar, we approach it with a different mindset when we tell ourselves, "If I did it once, I can do it again," despite knowing it will still be challenging and likely painful.

4. A Template to Consistently Turn Your Dreams into Reality

   I recently published a book titled NEW YOU: A Proven System to Turn Your Dreams into Reality. I confidently call it proven because it’s based on my personal experiences over the past nine years and my discovery of five key components essential for making dreams a reality:

   DREAMS, VISION, PLANS, GOALS, and HABITS.

   These five components, when integrated into a comprehensive and user-friendly system, can empower anyone to bring their dreams to life. And most importantly, as you practice and understand its benefits, you can enhance, personalize, and make the system your own.

   To download the free "Dreams to Habits" template and start using it right away, go to www.dreamstohabits.com 

   For a deeper dive into the system, I invite you to read my book, NEW YOU, available on Amazon in paperback, eBook or Audiobook formats.

To the success of your dreams!

-Abner Amador