Is it too late for your dream?

Have you ever stopped to wonder what your life would be like if you actually pursued the dreams you once had as a kid? You know, those dreams that seemed outrageous, impossible, you know, sometimes silly. The ones that seem like you could do anything, be anything, and have anything. Today we're diving deep into the power of the power that dreams hold and what it really means when you chase after them, even when they seem out of reach. This is Lead with Confidence Now, the podcast dedicated to helping you grow your confidence and live your best life. I'm Travia Steward, and for the past 27 years, I've been on a mission to help you reinvent your relationships and your career. My goal with this podcast is to show up for you so you can rock your world with the confidence to make these big changes in your life. All right, let's get into it. What's up, my peeps? Happy Podcast Thursday. This question was posed by actually a family member, and the question is, is it too late for me? Am I— Am I fighting a losing battle? And so when I think of this, I think of fighting a losing battle. I think of, is it too late for that dream? And so that's the motivation. That's the question I'm answering today on the podcast, because we all had dreams when we were kids, right? We wanted to be astronauts. We wanted to be Authors, movie stars, singers, you know, and being a rock band. I wanted to always make a huge impact on the world. But as we grow up, life happens, right? Life, life's. Reality sets in. And then those dreams, the older we get, begin to fade away. I believe that it's always important to reconnect to those dreams. And I believe connecting to those dreams can and will guide you to a more fulfilling life because I 100% believe that it's never too late to start dreaming again, to pull those dreams from the back burner. Because you see, dreams are our innermost aspirations and desires, and when we have these these things that we imagine, it will light our souls on fire. You know, even though sometimes they don't make sense, dreams push us beyond our comfort zone and it challenges us to grow. But most of the time we just ignore it and we just think it's foolish, right? And so when we don't pursue our dreams, as we grow older, a lot of us fall into a cycle of stagnation. Right? Like, you've heard me talk about the stagnant water in the lake, you know, that's not flowing. We stop believing and we stop dreaming because we stop believing in ourselves. We stop believing in these unrealistic or unattainable things that we once thought were realistic and attainable. But I believe that as we get older and things begin to happen in society and, and, and life happens, these dreams seem so far out of reach. This mindset of believing that it's unattainable leads to a life of settling, where we're no longer pursuing anything that truly excites us. And my friends, once we start doing that, I believe that we're no longer growing. I believe we're dying. And so When I look at it and go, am I, even for myself, am I stuck? Am I stuck in routine? Whenever I find that I'm stuck, I have stopped pursuing a dream. I have stopped pursuing a goal. And those moments happen when I'm not intentionally focused on that dream, that goal every single day. Every single day, writing it down every single day. What is the 1, 2, 3 things that I'm going to do? Small steps to make that dream happen. And then there are other times when I'm so lit up by it. I'm so lit up by taking the action of pursuing that dream because it makes me hungry. It makes me feel alive. And so When you pull a dream from the back burner and you like give it life and you start pursuing it, you'll notice a shift in your life too, because I believe you're gonna feel more alive. You're gonna feel more motivated. You're gonna feel more connected to what I believe is a greater purpose on this earth. Because pursuing your dreams is a form of growth. Because again, I believe that we're, if we're not growing, just like flowers, we're dying. You see, I've been chasing a dream of speaking on large stages for most of my life. In some way or another, I have always wanted to have an impact on people, to have an impact and know that I am helping people live the highest vision of their lives. And I'm not gonna say it's always been easy. It's not easy right now. But I have learned to be okay with maybe my dream doesn't look exactly like I envisioned it would happen. Maybe my dream didn't happen as early as I wanted it to happen. But each step take, each step that I take, it honestly brings me closer to that dream, to the evolution of it. And every experience along the way teaches me something new about myself. And so it teaches me new every time I have a dream, every time I have this wild idea, I look at it as information. These dreams are brought to us because we are the ones who can make it happen. We are the ones who can bring it to fruition. But when we continue to dismiss our dreams and ignore our dreams and don't pursue our dreams, those dreams die. And you see, I've worked with a lot of clients who thought their dreams are dead, that it was too late. They had, you know, sort of closed that window on the dream. But the excitement and the aliveness when they started to reconnect with those dreams, it may not look the same way it looked when you dreamt it. As a kid or as a young adult, but these same clients found ways to pursue them at an older— at an— at a later time in life, at an older age, which also brought a renewed sense of purpose and joy and excitement to their lives. Because I believe you don't have to make huge leaps to pursue your dreams. We want to just start with, like I said, small consistent actions. Write down those dreams. Allow yourself to sit in silence for a bit and ask yourself, what is it that I want? What are these dreams? One of the things that I ask my clients to do is make a list of desires and dreams. And I'm asking you to maybe start there today. Maybe 10 things. Write down 10 things, 25 things, 50 things. That you want to do, want to have, or want to be. And if you could really imagine that you couldn't fail, imagine that whatever you wanted, no matter what age you are, that it will happen. What would you want then? Write those things down. And over time, we take small actions. To bring those things into reality, but we first have to resolve to dream again because so many of us have stopped dreaming. And one of the common misconceptions that I want to address is we have to have it all figured out before we can start pursuing that dream. And that definitely isn't the truth. You don't need a perfect plan. Your dreams can evolve. You just need to know the next step. And it's okay, you know, if you don't know all the answers. It's okay if you don't know exactly how it's going to look at the end of the road when that dream comes to fruition. You just want to know the next step. And it's okay, you know, to be flexible and to allow it to evolve. And so I'm encouraging you to reconnect with your dreams today. Because like that question I was answering, is it too late? Is it too late to do the thing that you really want to do? I believe that, you know, I think it's a Chinese proverb that the perfect time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best perfect time to plant a tree is right now. So the best next time, the best time for you to go after the dream, go after what you want, is right now. It's not making any more excuses. It's actually taking the steps because it gives you a fire. It gives you desire to, you know, go after it, to be excited when you get up in the morning, you know? And so I believe that the dream that you once had, if you're bringing it back, sometimes we need to just update it. We want to, you know, maybe it was a dream that we had, you know, in, you know, about 1980s or whatever, and now it's 2024. So maybe that dream just needs an update. Maybe it just needs a little bit of tweaking and adjusting to fit in to who you are and how you show up and where you are today. And I'm asking you to just be open to letting the dream, all the dreams, evolve and trust that they are guiding you toward a greater purpose. So I believe that we all have the capacity to dream the potential within us, no matter what age we are. And I believe that we can achieve whatever we want because the moment I stop believing that, that is the moment I believe I stop growing and I begin to die. I am a person who sees the glass half full. I want to always believe in potential. I want to always believe in possibility. And what matters with these dreams is that you just keep going. You keep learning, you keep moving forward. Even if something bad happens, use it as information. I do it all the time. I'm definitely not where I want to be. I'm not even where I thought I would be at this time in my life. But you know what? I know that I'm supposed to be here. And the thing that lights a fire is this greater purpose, this mission that I have, these dreams that I have of the impact of the lives that I am touching, the lives I will touch. So I'm asking you to just keep moving forward, get that list out and start making a list of the first, the 10 things, the 25 things, the 50 things. And anytime a thought enters your mind, don't talk yourself out of it. Write it down. You don't even have to share this list with anyone. This is a list that can just be for you. And when you begin writing these things, there will be some fear that comes up because we all experience fear when pursuing dreams that we put on the back burner. But I'm gonna empower you to not let that hold you back. Embrace the uncertainty, use it as fuel, and remind yourself that every step you take is really bringing you closer to the joy, the fulfillment, the life that you truly want. So as I wrap up, I want to inspire and empower you to give yourself permission to dream again. And don't worry about whether it's practical, whether it makes sense, or even if it's achievable. Just let yourself dream and feel how alive dreaming makes you feel. And don't allow yourself to be sidetracked by thinking, this is silly, it's too late, I can't do it, who am I, to all these thoughts, right? So when you pull all those things away, go back to that pure dream. And as someone who continues to chase a dream of speaking on large stages, I know firsthand how powerful and fulfilling it can be to pursue what lights you up. And again, I don't have it all figured out, but I'm committed to this pursuit. I'm committed to the journey, and I want the same for you. All right, my peeps, that is what I have for you today about the power of your dreams and why it's important to pursue them because I believe it guides us towards our greater purpose and brings more joy and fulfillment into our lives. All right, my peeps, if this episode resonated with you, I encourage you to take some time, share it with someone else you think could find value in it, and help them reconnect to their dreams. Write them down, visualize them, and then start taking action. And if you need support along the way, shoot me an email, connect with me on Instagram, on LinkedIn. I am here to help. I believe that this is my mission. This podcast is a part of my mission, and I'm here to help. So don't hesitate to reach out. All right, my peeps, we'll talk next week. Keep dreaming.