Living in the realm of possibility

When you live in the realm of what if, you can be whoever you like. There is no way to know what really could have been. There is no history to confront. If it wasn’t for that broken leg, or freak accident, or lack of skill. If it wasn’t for that lack of mentorship or lack of opportunity. If only you had more time, or tried harder, or taken that leap of faith. If only, if only. Of course, things happen all the time where dreams are crushed. But you do have power over what happens next. You can choose to make new and ambitious goals, or never dream again. 

It's a good feeling getting to the end of the tunnel

I find that people who live without new dreams are often the most unhappy with their current life. After all, if you’re always looking at your past then you’re not going to be too happy about your future. If your past is the best time of your life, then everything going forward isn’t really worth rushing towards. I can see why people embellish their stories from their childhood, of their most memorable and magical moments. And yes, you do get a special feeling when you imagine what you could have been.  But it’s very similar to imagining how it would feel with super powers, or what life would be like as a dinosaur, neither real, nor useful. 

I always dreamed of being a power ranger

When you don't create, or don’t chase that next dream, when you don’t ship your work you are making a choice. A choice to live in the past. A choice to never feel the pain of competition, of trying something new. Of trying your best to be the best at something. A choice to never be disappointed in failure. Maybe you really are a lousy artist or terrible person, but if you never produce anything you’ll never know. You can pretend to be Pablo Picasso if you like, and nobody can refute such a claim until you produce something meaningful. 

This is a real drawing police used to find a criminal

As always, the key is action. Do something next. Fall down and get back up. If you never put anything out there, you can live in the realm of make-believe forever. But it won’t be meaningful. You won’t be truly happy no matter how much praise you receive for your past victories. And look, it's not easy, but it's a lot better than living within the realm of possibility.