Being Realistic Or Dreaming Too Big

“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars”. This is the famous and well-known saying by Les Brown. In our unit, we found all kinds of evidence that proved that dreams are both worth, and not worth it. In our unit, we read books, searched articles online, listened to motivational speeches, and watched videos online, all arguing on whether dreams are worth chasing or not. Of course, some dreams are just downright impossible or may seem too difficult; but having a goal motivates people to keep moving forward down their path, it can give a person happiness if achieved, and fulfilment in life. Even if they’re never really achieved, we could obtain these things, and possibly more.

As children we all dream, we dream about toys, monsters, castles, fairy tales and most importantly, we dream about our futures. I have always dreamed about success, but when I was younger I was not sure of what exactly success entailed. As I grew older and continued to grow physically, spiritually, and mentally I was able to discover my true aspirations and goals.

Some people say that with dedication, persistence, and time people can accomplish any goal. Others say that people are limited in what they can accomplish and need to be realistic when setting goals.

Although we all have an idealistic dream of a perfect life, we should always see life how it is and not how you want it to be. Dreaming big has inspired many people into creating things like no one has ever seen;however, I believe in thinking realistically since life is how it is not how you want it to be and not all dreams go as planned.

For example, when my grandmother was young, she used to dream about being surrounded by a loving family. She was an orphan. She often tells me stories about how she would lie awake at night dreaming about just that. Many kids in her orphanage used to tell her that none of them were ever going to have a life like that “Why would we?” they said, “can you not see not even our parents wanted us!” Despite all the harsh words, she kept on dreaming and overcame all her obstacles and has reached her goal. Even though your goals might seem impossible, if you dream big you might get just that.

The world is most likely viewed as “heavy load or like a raisin dried up in the sun” (Hughes). To get a clearer picture of how a realist views and functions in the world an example of this type of person is needed. One example of a realist is a person who accepts the situation as it is and is prepared to deal with it accordingly. In A Raisin in the Sun the realist is portrayed as a person who sees the world as it is but also has given up hope, and has fallen into hopelessness (Hansberry, 134). Viewing the world through the eyes of a realist spins their growth and success or lack thereof in a circular rotation, a repeating cycle of disparities. Which handicaps them to live a life without progress and never achieving their goals and

“I never dreamed about success, I worked for it.” Estee Lauder. This quote really sums up the reason we shouldn’t dream because dreams make us believe in things that won’t ever happen unless a person actually goes out tries to accomplish what they want to do in life. In addition sometimes when people try to accomplish their dreams it leads to terrible outcomes such as the Great Leap Forward, The 5 Year Plans, and the Holocaust as some examples.Also, it results in many people overestimate what they can do which leads to terrible outcomes.This all shows often when people try to dream it often leads to outcomes that very undesirable.

Falling into the trap of believing that reaching one’s dreams is a simple task is a fatal mistake many make. This is prominent in the case of the Younger family from the short story, “A Raisin in the Sun”, by Lorraine Younger. The story entails the journey of a colored family in a white-dominated society striving for their dreams. The Younger family believes they can achieve their dreams through overnight success, to blame others when their plans fail, and whenever there is guaranteed prosperity, to settle down.

Everyone goes through a tough time on whether dreaming big or being realistic. I believe that being realistic is better because you set goals and accomplish them without being disappointed in yourself.

How many times have you had a dream or feeling of ambition? A dream to become a professional athlete or a dream to become a professional singer or president of the United States, well those dreams and ambitions could be right at your fingertips. All you need to do to make your dreams a reality is to put forth all of your time and effort. To attain your dreams you must work harder than everyone else and work as hard as the person that you are trying to be like.

Someone once said “If your dreams don’t scare you, then they are big enough.” This is a little scary to me. I’ve made it a point not to dream too big or get my hopes

Being realistic doesn’t mean you cannot have big dreams, it means understanding the possibilities of the outcome, and being able to accept the harsh reality. It’s better to be realistic because big dreams rarely come true.

I tend to stop myself from pursuing idealistic concepts that have no clear plan in how they will be achieved. Some people may say that this realistic tendency of mine will stop me from achieving outlandish possibilities, however to that I say that every outlandish possibility that has become fact has had a clear achievable plan, therefore proving that they are not idealistic, but just perceived as impossible when just investigating the final outcome. And in most cases of outlandish possibilities becoming truth, the final outcome was not anticipated but was achieved through a number of achievable and underwhelming accomplishments. It is hard to state a specific example of being realistic is more of a subconscious trait, however I do believe

As people get older, they can better distinguish between real and not real. As stated in the textbook, a person must balance reality and their dreams, goals, etc, because both things are important. Fantasy, such as our dreams and goals, are part of being human and for some people, it is a purpose of life. If we only lived in “reality,” there would be nothing to strive for because everyone would live based on what we know from our five senses. As long as people can keep a balance between the two, they can live a “normal” life in which they know what’s real, but they can

In the novel, Waiting for the Barbarians by J.M Coetzee, the magistrate’s progressive, non-linear dreams are a parallel to his growing involvement with the barbarians and his growing distaste for the empire. The great psychoanalyst, Sigmund Freud said, “The interpretation of dreams is the royal road to a knowledge of the unconscious.” In every dream there is a hidden meaning and when the reader starts analyzing the magistrate’s dreams he reveals that he is oddly attracted to the barbarians and knows he should not get involved and it will be a trial to get close to them.