sky to heaven - the invisible life.

Many people are not living their dreams. And maybe it’s not their fault. All of our lives, we hear people tell us, “Get good grades,”“Find a good job,” “Make more money,” “Get married,” “Buy this,” “Work or study hard,” “Have fun, enjoy yourself, and be happy,” or “Don’t think too much.” This is what most people around us say and do. And so it is easy to learn from them, because this is how we see people all around us live their lives.

But hardly anybody ever tells us, “Follow your dreams.” Because most people don’t believe in dreams. They believe in goals, but not dreams. When you work for a goal, you do things you don’t want to do, in order to get something you want, like getting a job just in order to get money. You feel happy only when you get the money. But living your dreams is doing things you love because you love to do them. You feel happy when you do the job and when you get rewarded for the job.

Most people believe that living their dreams is impossible. Maybe they believe dreams are only for a few lucky people. Or maybe they believe dreams are just silly, and only for fools and children – not for mature adults. They believe dreams are not practical or realistic.

But I believe dreams are life. Everything that was created in this world first needed a dream in order to become real. Once, there was no such thing as a TV in the world – but somebody dreamed it. Once, there were no such things as airplanes in the world – but somebody dreamed them, too. Everything that was invented by people in this world - whether it was a building, a car, a computer, a cup, or even this piece of paper - first started out as a dream. Our dreams created our world.

And so it is that your own dreams are the beginning of your life. Our dreams create our lives. It is up to you to find your dreams and follow them; it is up to you to create your life. Nobody can do it for you, because you are the only person who can live your life. And since everybody is unique in the world, everybody’s dreams will be different. And everybody has dreams, somewhere deep inside of themselves – because everybody was young once and dreamed of happiness. And those dreams are still there because you are still here.

People who do not believe in and follow their dreams pay a heavy price. They work at jobs they do not love or like. They often feel bored. Tired. Unfulfilled. They lack passion, motivation, and perhaps confidence. They force themselves to go to work, and perhaps to live. The only two days every week they might enjoy are Saturday and Sunday. If you ask them if they are happy in their job, they will say, “This is the way things are.” And this is the way they will feel about their lives: “This is the way life is.” They will often feel they have no choice, that this is their fate. They don’t think they can change their lives – even though life is about change. And they don’t believe in dreams – even though everything in their world was once a dream. And because they don’t believe in dreams, they don’t believe in themselves. They feel they give so much and get back so little – and they are right.

I believe if you don’t follow your dreams, if you do not listen to your heart, it will stop talking to you. If you only listen to other people, you will forget how to listen to yourself. And when you stop listening to yourself, a part of you will go to sleep – or die. You may barely feel alive. Every day is basically just like any other day, and your life does not change very much. A person who is not following their dreams is half asleep. Give up on your dreams, and you give up on your life. If you choose only to accept the way life is now, you lose all the potential of what life can be.

It is never too late to follow your dreams. It is true that the older you are, the harder it gets. Maybe you never followed your dreams in the past because of your parents, and maybe you feel you can’t follow your dreams in the future because of your children. Maybe you sacrificed your dreams in this way for someone else. And I believe not only do you pay a price, but also your parents and your children pay a price. Because I believe all parents want their children to be happy, and all children like to see their parents happy. And the best way to be happy is to follow your dreams. So follow your dreams for your parents, so they can be happy when they see you happy. Do it for your children, so they can be happy when they see you happy. Follow your dreams so that you can teach your children and they can learn how to follow their own dreams.

It may not be easy to find your dreams. It may take a while to find your direction. Even then, it may be hard to make the decision to follow them. Because other people may think you are crazy – and maybe you will think you are crazy, too. You may be afraid. And even if you do decide to follow your dreams, it will probably not be easy, and it may take a long time. You will encounter obstacles. You may get frustrated. You may not believe you can do it. You may feel alone, because nobody may support you or understand you or believe in you. You may want to give up. Your dreams may even change. And you may fail.

But whether you succeed or fail, people who live their dreams become very different from people who don’t. They will not feel bored. They will have energy. They will feel passionate and motivated about what they are doing. They will develop courage, strength, confidence, and spirit – because they have to, in order to follow their dreams. They will become smarter and more capable in many ways, because they usually have to give their best and give their all in order to realize their dreams. They are interesting people because they are doing what they feel is interesting. They believe in themselves. They have heart, because they listen to their hearts. And perhaps most important of all, they will feel happy because they are doing what they love. They will feel alive. All these things are the gifts that dreams give back to those people who follow them. Dreams give you both your life and yourself. In my opinion, such people are an extremely beautiful and inspiring sight to behold. As they travel towards their stars, they become like stars. So whether they succeed or fail – they will still succeed.

So wake up to your life. Find your dreams and follow them. If they are lost, then you may be lost. If you feel bored, tired, and unfulfilled in your job or life, and you feel little passion, this is just your heart telling you that you are doing something that you don’t really want to do – it is your heart telling you that you are not following your dreams. Your heart is calling to you. And your dreams will show you the way. They will help you grow, and take you to what you can be. They will show you to your happiness. They will show you your life. And because of this, they are among the most precious and real things you will ever have.