Life can be hard. Sometimes things can go so wrong that it seems like they’ll never be right again. It is in those moments that we may lose hope, that we may cease looking at the glass as half full and silently wonder to ourselves how long it will take before it is completely empty. It is in those moments that many of us stop dreaming, we lose momentum and stop looking forward to the things that make life worth living. Losing sight of our hopes and dreams is akin to losing parts of ourselves.

When we were kids we all wanted to grow up to be something that we thought was great. We dreamed big, did what we wanted and spoke loudly and no one could tell us that our crazy dreams and plans to execute them didn’t make any sense. You know why; because those dreams belonged to us, they defined us, molded us into the kids that we were, the teenagers we became and oftentimes into the young adults that we are now. Whatever dreams we chose to believe in, became our reality. It was the driving force of our existence and nothing could have made us happier, well, except for a lot of chocolate and candy. For most of us, as we became teenagers we lost that carefree dreaming; responsibilities become a thing of reality that imposed itself upon our world – school, siblings, parents, part-time jobs, relationships; for many of us things became overwhelming.

When our lives starts to spin out of our control that is when our dreams take on a crucial role. The act of dreaming or, as I like to call it, “envisioning a positive change”, becomes a tool for metamorphosis. All great feats in live began with a dream. Professional coaches know a thing or two about the power of dreaming, in fact, many coaches tell their players to envision their win. A player who continuously dreams about success is more likely obtain it. This method of dreaming success into reality can apply to all aspects of our lives. Getting that grade, job, apartment, acceptance into that school are all possible when we allow ourselves to dream and put in the necessary work towards making that dream a reality.

Aside from being able to accomplish our goals, the act of dreaming can have a positive and immediate effect on a person both physically and mentally. Good dreams can cause the body to relax, oftentimes increasing our ability to think more clearly. Our levels of stress can be reduced resulting in peace of mind. Short term patterns of dreams and success can lead to increased confidence and risk taking which propels long term patterns of dreams and success leading us to happier and oftentimes healthier lives.

So the next life throws you a curve ball and you feel like your dreams are a waste of time, remember that all great feats began with one.