“Dreams are like stars…you may never touch them, but if you follow them they will lead you to your destiny.”
I don’t know who said this quote but it touches me because I consider myself a dreamer. I come up with some great ideas (well, to ME they’re great ideas!) but I never seem to follow through with any of them. Maybe it’s a self-esteem issue, maybe I just lack the confidence to follow through, maybe I’m too busy pleasing others that I don’t make plans for myself. Whatever the reason, any quotes that are about following your dreams or believing in yourself catch my eye.
For a couple of years now I’ve joked with my husband that I’m going through a mini-midlife crisis. You just get to a point where you start to think, “Why am I here? What’s my purpose in life? What’s my destiny?” Of course, it doesn’t help that I’m an Oprah fan and some of her shows are rather philosophical and she often mentions knowing her own calling on this earth, so maybe it’s all her fault that I’m on this mission of self-discovery.
“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”
–Harriet Tubman
At the moment, my purpose in life is raising my two girls so they become independent adults. In the end, that is the most important purpose of my life, making sure that they succeed in becoming contributing members of society and that they are happy with their own lives. But does that count as “changing the world”? Hmmm…more to ponder…
June 30th, 2007 at 11:13 am
By raising upright citizens alone, you are contributing to positive changes in the world. But by also loving those little girls, you are changing THEIR world… and that will have a ripple effect throughout generations to come.
July 1st, 2007 at 4:35 pm
The greatest contribution we can make is to raise children who become responsible adults. Not always easy, but well worth the effort.
And dreams should definitely be pursued.
July 2nd, 2007 at 7:56 am
I always said that stay-at-home moms had the toughest job in the world because you’re responsible for human beings. There is no how-to manual supplied with those babies. You visualize where you want to go and how you want your children to turn out, and then find ways to make it happen.
When something goes wrong, you can’t just toss out the “seconds.” You have to find a way to “fix it.”
If you raise happy, independent, self-sufficient children, you’ve done a good job. The job isn’t finished, but it’s well on its way.
YOU are doing a great job.