Do we need dreams?

When pondering on goals and dreams recently an interesting question came up. Do we need dreams? Do we really need them? I literally felt my brain stumbling over that question and challenging me.

As you may know I am a big fan of dreams and goals and going after them. So my inner voice yelled ‘Yes! Of course we need dreams!’ And I wondered why this yell felt so desperate. It then dawned on me that if I was being really honest there also was a clear ‘no’ inside of me. We don’t need dreams. Ouch. That hurt. I didn’t want to think that! My art is dedicated to that topic! So I can’t say we don’t need dreams! My brain was already creating big drama telling me I had to quit making art. After some seconds of shock I had to laugh. Dear brain, you truly are a drama queen! 

And it is true, we might not need dreams to survive (although in some situations dreams might help us to survive!). To live our lives. We might even have a very pleasant life without having dreams and desires. But I think there are several upsides of having dreams, of allowing yourself to dream. And as a further step, pursuing them.

In this regard I was also wondering if there are people on this planet having no dreams at all. Does not everybody have a dream, a wish for their lives? Maybe just secretly or more or less unconsciously? Maybe not paying much attention to it because it is not ‘realistic’ and ‘won’t come true anyway’? But I think we all have some kind of dreams for our lives. Even if it is the wish that it will all stay the same.

I also think there are different kinds of wishes. Some are quite easy to pursue. Like purchasing that special book or garment which we find so beautiful. And this might come from a point of inspiration or maybe from the wish of escaping from something. Or chasing something and the purchase is an instant gratification. Very different underlying topics here!

If we look deeper even those small desires can tell us a lot about ourselves: Who do we want to be and how do we want to feel?

Other dreams are just dreams not needed to be pursued and that is fine. For example I dream of owning an old-fashioned tie shop. With stucco ceiling and elegant wood panelling. I would spend all day arranging the ties by colour and be the happiest person on the planet. Like really. But – I’m perfectly aware that this is not the way of how to run a tie shop. I even do not want to run a tie shop in reality.  It is a super romanticised vision of it. And it is all about inspiration. You see, I don’t need this dream to survive or live my life. But it makes me so happy and gives me so much joy. It inspires and fuels my real life. It lets me feel that sense of elegance, romance, boldness and colour.

And then there are the dreams that go really deep. The ones which you may know deep down inside are the ones which want to be pursued.

Which might even be scary because they also mean change. Or they might feel so out of reach. I think they come with a certain feeling of longing. At least this is what it feels like for me. How I distinguish between those categories. The latter ones don’t come with that hit of an acute flash of adrenaline like the first ones – when I see a beautiful book cover for example and I immediately think ‘I NEED this book!’. No. The latter ones for me connect on a much deeper level. Also physically. They feel serious.

Maybe you can compare it to what is called bucket list. Things you would regret not having done looking back on your life from your death bed. This is a helpful perspective to me. The first bucket list I put up included things like travelling to certain places (e. g. traditional temples in Japan, the vast landscapes of Canada or the US). And eventhough visiting those places for sure is priceless I with time found that I would regret it more not having listened to my gut feeling in certain situations or having my own back. To mean what I say and say what I mean and stand by it. I would regret to not have dared to pursue my dreams ‘just’ because I was too afraid. At least I think I should try! And I still can visit those temples 🙂

So we might not necessarily need dreams and desires. But they can be a beautiful guideline to live our lives according to what is important to us. To bring a sense of meaning to our lives.  To live in a self-determined way. They can grow us. They can show us different facets of ourselves which we might not have been aware of until now. Our dreams can show us what might be missing right now.

So let’s allow ourselves to dream!

What do you think about this topic – do we need dreams? Let me know in the comments below or write an e-mail to hello@annikaruhwedel.com. I’m curious!

Cheers to you!

Annika