Day Dreamer Idealist

Most people have a dream of where they want to arrive and who they want to be—this is very important because it’s what motivates us to get there. Not having this vision would be like setting out on a journey without a destination in mind.

Idealist
Defintion: perfect, existing only in the mind, especially as one that cannot be found in real life.

I remember reading from one of my textbooks about what an idealist is:
"An idealist is someone who pursues idea that exists only in the mind, not in reality." However, a serious idealist chases such a goal to the extreme.
There’s a fine line between healthy idealism and empty-fantasy idealism.

Again in the textbook it mentions that a healthy idealism provides "drive, momentum and hope"—something everybody needs in today’s broken world. While empty-fantasy idealism, can result in chasing an elusive dream—something that doesn’t exist.

Pursuits may include:

• the perfect job/career
• the perfect woman ... hehe...
• the perfect adventure ... (slaying "dragons")
• the perfect social life ... (never to be forgotton)

Obviously, none of these ideals are available in our less-than-perfect world.
If you’ve ever felt, or are feeling, dissappointment and exasperation with the slow progress in accomplishing your future goals, you are not alone.

Things don’t always happen as fast as we’d like them to. But don’t give up! Keep running. (Phil 3: 14- 17)

Very few noteworthy, respected figures reached success simply by traveling from Point A to Point B; for some it was Point A to Point Q. There were many stops in between, some that might, at first, be seen as delays.
However, what may appear as an obstructive delay is actually where you need to be. We learn significant lessons during life’s “delays” that pave the road for the journey ahead.

Healthy growing means recognizing that it sometimes takes difficult mid-way learning experiences to equip us to accomplish dreams.
I'd like to share a fascinating summary I read recently of a well-known man’s disappointments. Here is a summary of the obstacle course on his road to success:

at age 7 - His family is forced out of their home on a legal technicality and as a child he works to support them.

at 9 - His mother dies

at 22 - He loses his job as a store clerk. He wants to go to law school, but his education isn’t good enough.

at 23 - He goes into debt to become a partner in a small store

at 26 - His business partner dies leaving him a huge debt that takes years to repay

at 28 - After courting a girl for 4 years, he asks her to marry him and is rejected. ( Man, thats got to hurt)

at 37 - On his third try, he is elected to Congress, but 2 years later, he fails to be reelected.

at 41 - His 4-year-old son dies

at 45 - He runs for the Senate and loses

at 47 - He fails as the vice-presidential candidate

at 49 - He runs for the Senate again and loses

at 51 - He is elected president of the United States

Who was this man? His name is Abraham Lincoln, a man many consider "the greatest leader the country ever had” (James Hewett).

Though, I ain't American this is something worth looking into, this president endured many heartbreaks and failures before he reached his ideal, and even then it didn’t mean that troubles were over.

But all of the tough times on his journey to presidency —including losing close family members at a young age, financial hardships, and repeated political defeat, prepared him for what he would have to face as a nation’s leader.

By definition, commitment requires that you stick with it when it’s tempting to quit... like relationships...but thats another story...