June 18, 2018

Make Your Dreams Your Reality

littlelivesbig@gmail.com New Beginnings, Teaching american dream, chase your dreams, chasing your dreams, dreaming, dreams, europe, fearless, female traveler, goals, ib teacher, international teacher, international teaching, just do it, millennial, moving, moving abroad, opportunities, solo travel, teacher, teaching, travel 2 Comments

Who says dreams can’t come true?

I’ve always believed that if your dreams don’t scare you, you’re not dreaming big enough. Growing up, I was always encouraged to push past my limits- to challenge myself. One of my elementary teachers often quoted, “Shoot for the moon; even if you miss, you will land among the stars.” I love that. It has been one of my personal mottos ever since.

It’s funny- I was born and raised, and currently live, in the United States of America. The USA is a place known for making dreams come true, hence: The American Dream. People have migrated to America for decades in hopes of providing a better life for their families and accomplishing goals they could simply not accomplish elsewhere. But why is it that so many Americans are afraid to chase their dreams? Why is it that so many of us don’t dream big enough? I mean, the majority of working Americans don’t even use all of their vacation days.

According to a study by Glassdoor, only 23% of employees in the U.S. are actually taking all of their permitted time off. The average worker in America only uses about half of their paid time off. Compared to Australia and most European countries, we Americans get very few vacation days or paid leave. We get much less than so many other employees around the world, yet we still choose to stay at work. Day in and day out. Morning to night. For 60+ years. We are worried that going on a trip with the family or embarking on an adventure will make us dispensable. 

We run the rat race.

Well, it’s time we stop running and start dreaming. Start living our best lives.  And I am writing this post for any of you who have been thinking about going after your dream, but have been pushing it off. If you aren’t sure if you should, or if this is the “right time”, THIS IS YOUR SIGN. Do it. Take the leap. Go for it. There is no better time than now. One day, you will regret not embracing that opportunity, not taking that job, not making that move, not writing that book.

In college, I had a 5 year plan. I had, in my opinion, “big dreams”. I was going for my Bachelors in elementary and special education. After graduation, I wanted to teach for awhile and then get my Master’s in education administration so that I could become an assistant principal and then principal. Down the road, I wanted to become superintendent. The loftiest goal of all was someday becoming U.S. Secretary of Education (a long shot, I know!).

But dreams change.

This year, I did get my Masters. But I didn’t go for education administration, because I wasn’t as excited about becoming a principal as I once was. And that’s OK. I recently earned my Masters in digital leadership because I felt having an instructional technology background would be beneficial for my future endeavors, which are ever-changing.

I did teach for 4 years, and earn tenure, but my next role is not that of an assistant principal. My next title, as of this August, is international teacher. And I am stoked about that! My college self would have never, ever dreamed of this. Or believed this. And that’s the beauty of dreams.

As far as one day becoming superintendent- or the U.S Secretary of Education- who knows! I did, however, meet the U.S. Secretary of Education and host her in my classroom last month. I did meet and speak with my county’s superintendent. I received thank-you letters from both of them this month, which is, again, something I would have never dreamed of or imagined.

But why not? Why don’t we dream that big? Now that my life is going in the direction that it is, I honestly believe nothing is impossible.

And if I can inspire just one other person to make a change and take the leap, I’ll be ecstatic. I know it is hard. We tell ourselves, “Oh, I’d love to, but it will never happen” or “That would be so awesome, but that could never happen for/to me.” Stop thinking that way! It can. And it will. Dream it and do it.

How did I get the courage to do what I’m doing now? I too was inspired by others. I knew a girl in college who, upon graduation, up and left for the U.S. Virgin Islands in the Caribbean. I always thought to myself, “Wow that is awesome- I wish I could do something like that one day!” Did I actually think it’d ever happen? Nope.

Then, last year, around this exact day, my colleagues and I had an end-of-the-year meeting in our media center with our principal. She announced the people who were leaving the school, and it was revealed that one of my colleagues was moving to Central America. My jaw dropped. What?! Again, I thought to myself, “What an amazing thing to do! It sounds like such a unique opportunity!”

Those two moments- in other people’s lives- truly inspired me. Doing something big and exciting like that kept creeping into my mind, and the more I traveled, the more I wanted to make that new dream a reality. My 5 year plan changed. I currently have no set plan, except to move to the Netherlands and give my absolute personal best as an international teacher. I want to make new friends, try new food, embrace self love, learn a new language, visit new sights.

When I was a little girl, I always said I’d be married by the time I was 25. I wanted 5 kids- 3 girls and 2 boys to be exact. I wanted my husband to have a motorcycle. None of those things matter to me anymore. Yes, I do eventually want to settle down and have a family of my own. But I am already past the age of 25. I surely don’t need to have 5 kids (geeze, what was I thinking?!), and I will be very content if I fall in love with a man without a motorcycle. The point is, I am done putting these ridiculous parameters and time limits on my life. I only have one life to live.

And dammit, I am going to live this one life that I have to the fullest.

I have other dreams as well.. I want to publish a book one day, present at an educational conference, and become a university professor and mentor to future teachers.

What’s your dream? Comment below (and please- go for it!)! 🙂

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