Chase a dream or live it?

When I experienced the deafening silence(again!) yesterday night, deep down in my thoughts it hit me that am I living my dreams? I noted down “Should we live the dream or chase it?” in my Sticky Notes and gazed at it for an hour while dozing off to sleep.

I don’t know if it’s because I’m getting older, wiser (ha! :D), or what it is exactly, but growing up my only goal in life was to own lots of sweet shit and have lots of money. So I have been chasing the dream since then.

There’s always something you’d much rather be doing, than whatever you are doing today. As kids, our future aspirations (which changed frequently) seemed so possible. Is it because we were naive enough? Or were we actually full of hope and confidence necessary to accomplish our visions, before being drained of that conviction over the years? Our dreams are put through the wringer as we allow laziness, letdowns, and the preconceived notion that we must attend college, obtain a degree and jump into a career, squeeze the life out of them, as we succumb to being “realistic”.

In words of Paulo Coelho, ‘When you want something, the entire universe conspires in helping you to achieve it’. I’m a firm believer of that. Pay close attention. Take a couple of sincere strides toward whatever it is you truly want, and see how the universe responds to your wishes. Don’t expect the whole kit-and-caboodle to magically appear on a silver platter in front of you. Instead be prepared to give it everything you’ve got for the long haul. If you refuse to give in, then you literally can’t be stopped. The only thing holding you back is YOU. It may be a strenuous process full of highs and lows, but..

You wouldn’t fully comprehend the value of your ups, without having experienced some downs!

So, what I’ve learnt is before you can ever get to the point of living your dreams you have to stop chasing dreams.

I don’t mean to lead you on, but the truth is I can’t tell you exactly how to live your dreams. They’re yours. And that’s an important point. Don’t let anybody force their dreams for you onto you. Nobody knows what’s best for you, not your parents, not your friends, not your teachers, and not me!

If you’re unhappy in any way with your life the first thing you have to realize is that nothing will change overnight. It’s a process. I don’t know how long it will be for you, but just know that progress may be slow. It may take years.
Accept that.
Take action.
No matter how difficult it is, remember: the dream, your dream, is attainable!

But, the entire focus may change when we try to find the difference between chasing a dream and living it, i.e. they both might mean same to you. Or if there is a difference, what is it according to you?

What do you prefer, to chase a dream or to live it?