We often hear advice like “Dream big” tossed around like a motivational catchphrase. But let’s stop and ask: what does “big” even mean?
Can you really measure the size of a dream?
For someone in a wheelchair, taking three independent steps might be a dream so powerful it brings tears. For someone who walks daily, running a marathon might be that mountaintop. For the marathoner? Maybe completing an Ironman or climbing Everest. The point is, the dream itself isn’t small or big. It only carries the weight that you give it.
Yet most of the time, the judgment around the size of a dream comes not from within, but from spectators. People watching from the sidelines love to label dreams as “too small” or “not ambitious enough.” But dreams aren’t performances. They’re deeply personal milestones, rooted in what matters to you, not what looks impressive on someone else’s scoreboard.
Now here’s something more alarming: in the hustle of everyday life, you might be chasing goals that aren’t even yours.
Think about it. If you’re in a job grinding away endlessly, are you working toward your own dream? Or helping someone else hit their quarterly targets or inflate their net worth? This isn’t a dig at hard work or employment — but a nudge to reflect. Whose dream are you helping to realise? And at what cost?
Before any action — a new project, a new job, even a new habit — ask yourself one thing:
Does this bring me closer to my own dream?
If not, you might be walking someone else’s path in someone else’s shoes.
And don’t overthink whether your dream looks impressive on Instagram or sounds glorious at a dinner party. If your dream is to grow your own food, live peacefully, write a book, learn to swim, or just sleep without stress — that’s your truth. That’s valid.
But here’s the kicker: to dream at all, you need one thing first.
A calm mind.
Not enough people talk about that. In a world of hyper-productivity and comparison, your mind can get so noisy, so restless, that you stop dreaming altogether. You just run on autopilot — wake, work, scroll, repeat.
But to dream — really dream — you need stillness. You need the kind of peace that lets you sleep with ease. Because only a peaceful mind can drift into a dream worth chasing.
So pause. Reflect. Reclaim your space.
List your dreams — however “small” they may seem to others.
Tick them off, one by one.
And if someone ever asks you why you’re not dreaming big enough?
Just smile.
Because you know — there’s no such thing as a small dream.
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