5 Dream Killers Everyone Must Know

There is a quote by Benjamin Franklin that says “Most people die at age 25 and aren’t buried until they're 75”. I believe we’d all agree that this quote is not in reference to a physical death. In my opinion this is a more subtle death that occurs at a very young age. I would suggest that the death referenced is more tragic than physical death, has a greater impact on humanity, and even has a greater impact on family members.

From my perspective, this is the death of ones dreams. The moment we stop pursuing all of the grand things and dreams that we always wanted, we literally die. The moment we give up on that career, business, family, fitness level, contribution, home, lifestyle, and more that we always dreamed of having, we commit Soul Suicide. I’m not talking about the wishful thought that you may have had while watching “Lifestyle of the Rich and Famous”, but that ever present dream that you’ve carried with you deep down inside. That dream that you discovered and once committed to pursue and achieve no matter what the circumstances.

In simplest terms, this death is when we stop pursuing the things that we TRULY want to receive the things that society SAYS we should have (averageness). That my friend is death! Death of our individuality, uniqueness, creativity, and drive, which results in a huge blow to humanity, our family and friends. Imagine if Steve Jobs had given up on his dreams… Enough said.

The only advantage to this type of death is the possibility of revival. If you find yourself in this death, be hopeful, you can live! All it takes is reviving your dream and protecting it as if it were your livelihood. It is!

Forewarned is forearmed. Once you know these dream killers, you can work to ensure that they never kill your dream (you).

1. Unbelief. The surest and quickest way to kill your dream is to loose belief in it and in your ability to achieve it. Belief is what gives life to your dream. If dreams were fish, belief would be water. Fix your mind and do whatever it takes to continually build your belief in yourself and in your dream. To do this, consistently take time to visualize, discuss, plan, and most important pursue your dream.

2. Lack of skills, knowledge, and mindset. Let’s be honest, if your present skill level, knowledge and mindset were suitable, your dream would be a reality. If you want your dreams to live, set yourself on a course of development NOW. What skills will it take to achieve your dreams? What knowledge must you gain to achieve your dreams? Most importantly, what does a person with your dream look like and how much does your mind need to shift to reach this level?

3. Inactivity. Lets call inactivity the Dream Disease. Inactivity is a very subtle dream killer. At one point you take a day off from pursuing your dreams, next you take a week off, next you take a month, next you’ve completely stopped major activity toward your dream. As you may have guessed, the only way of curing this disease is with constant, effective, determined activity. Commit today to ALWAYS stay active toward your dream.
4. Inner Circle. Of the five dream killers, this one is usually the hardest to confront. Unfortunately, Mr. Franklin was correct in saying “most people” in his quote. Even more unfortunate is that “most people” could include your friends. Why is this unfortunate? If “most” of your friends are not pursuing their dreams, chances are that you wont pursue your dreams. Completely eliminate your friends? That one is up to you. Nevertheless, I highly suggest that you find additional friends, mentors and others who are choosing a life of their dreams. These dream chasers will feed your dream causing it to expand and take on a new life. Otherwise, it will be drained by those who have chose death.
5. Lack of Desire. I will suggest that if any person gives up on their dream, its simply because they did not want it bad enough. When pursuing your dream, desire is absolutely everything. If your dream is legitimate and you want it bad enough, theres NOTHING that could stop you from achieving it. The ultimate question is always “How bad do you want it?”