Whenever you hear people talk about living their dream, it can sometimes bring a sense of anxiety, and even envy, even when we are happy for that person. They get to live a life they want, or so it may seem. In reality, it’s quite possible this is not their own dream but someone else’s dream altogether. Appearance can often be very misleading.
This idea that so many people are living their dream life is something that has become more acute and hard to ignore with the prevalence of social media. We hear it everywhere now on video platforms, social media platforms, chat forums and online communities. With it brings a certain amount of envy and anxiety that we haven’t been able to achieve that same level of success.
It’s precisely this comparison that is so harmful to the average person, because so much of it is an illusion. People’s lives, the parts we can see, are curated and we’re only meant to see that part of it and not the other moving parts. It’s like watching a play and admiring what’s happening on stage but we don’t get to see the masses of people behind the scenes putting in enormous amounts of effort in to ensure what we see on the stage goes as smoothly as possible.
So much of what we see of other people’s lives is performative. It’s a sliver that they are happy to share, but we don’t get to share in their struggle to that point. This ends up creating a degree of disconnect between what is real and what is not, and we end up measuring ourselves up to something that may not be realistic.
Then, there is the issue of who decided our dreams.
It’s quite possible that the dream we have for ourselves was something our parents placed upon us because they wanted that for us. We went along with it because we didn’t know better. This is likely one of the reasons why so many people in the middle of their careers decide they’d rather just pack up and do something else altogether. You even hear about people who just left the world behind to travel and find themselves and their purpose.
This idea that we have a dream and it’s our dream and no one else’s may not be entirely correct. It’s likely what we consider our dream life is heavily influenced by our upbringing, by our peers, by what society thinks is a dream life; but is sitting around on a yacht every person’s idea of a dream life?
I think there are many different ways that people want to live, if they sat down long enough to think about it long enough.
Perhaps, there are those who want to be working in a non-profit or saving stray animals. There are certainly people who dream of travelling the world, not as a hobby, but as a lifestyle and career. Then there are those who want to impart knowledge to people and find this the highest state they can imagine for themselves. There are those who desire the rat race and thrive under intense pressure of competition. Their dream lives can look vastly different, each with their own drawbacks and complications. Each of these lives requires a different path that is as unique as the people searching for their dream life.
Trying to figure this out when we’re young may be quite daunting, but with some experience, hindsight, and some knowledge, I believe most of us can eventually figure out what’s going to make us happiest. Maybe successfully growing and maintaining a beautiful garden is all you ever need to be happy, and that is your ideal life. The only way you’ll know is by deciding that it’s time to start that journey, now, rather than later.
Join us at College of Allied Educators to learn how you can build a positive mindset and unlock your innermost self to find success and happiness in various areas of your life.
College of Allied Educator’s Counselling Psychology programme will train individuals to understand thoughts and emotions; and with the right tools, allow individuals to see a broader, deeper, more interconnected world of possibilities for success.
DIPLOMA IN COUNSELLING PSYCHOLOGY
Diploma in Counselling Psychology (DCPSY) covers a range of conceptual and functional skills in counselling. It trains students to apply appropriate counselling psychology skills in different situations, and equips students with the ability to work effectively as a counsellor.
ADVANCED DIPLOMA IN COUNSELLING PSYCHOLOGY
Advanced Diploma in Counselling Psychology (ADICP) trains students to apply appropriate counselling skills in different situations while understanding their underlying theories. The ADICP programme introduces students to the nature of psychology and relates it to the theories and concepts of counselling. Students move on to explore themselves in order to promote personal growth and self-awareness, acquiring the key attributes of a competent counsellor and the proper methods of applying those skills.
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