I have often wondered when is it time for a person to stop pursuing a dream for their life? For instance, if a person has sent out demo tapes and has been trying to get into the music industry for ten years with no success, is it time for the person to give it a rest? Should he keep trying to put his music out there when there does not seem to be anyone willing to listen? This is something that many people have struggled with and it can be hard to know whether to keep chasing the dream or to just let it go.
As a teenager, I had dreams of wanting to be an actress. This dream takes a lot of time, work, and is subject to other peoples' perceptions. I could be the best actress in the world, but no one is going to see me act if someone else does not believe in my potential. Several factors such as lack of enough financial resources to relocate, a heavy southern accent that can be seen as a negative characteristic by many agents, and my unwillingness to do certain types of scenes, such as nude scenes hindered the progression of my dream. I still have the utmost respect for actors, actresses, and their craft. There is so much more to acting than most people realize. I realized that I could admire acting from afar, but not become an actress myself. Thankfully, I did not waste a lot of money or time in pursuing the dream. If I had, I would not be where I am today in a job that I love doing. Even though I do not get paid nowhere near the kind of money most actresses are paid, I still go to work happy to do my job. I have been told that I am very good with helping my customers and that many look for me when they come to the store. I think that I replaced one dream for another and am happier as a result.
Is there a dream that you are pursuing that someone has tried to talk you out of? Did you ever have a dream that you tried hard to achieve but it just didn't pan out like you had hoped? What would you tell a friend who had been struggling to achieve a dream for a long time? Would you encourage your friend to keep trying or would you advise your friend to throw in the towel?
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I'm just now pursuing a long-time dream of mine--becoming a published author. Despite several setbacks, I'm not quite ready to give it up. We'll see how I feel ten years from now! :)
ReplyDeleteWriting...but there's a difference. There isn't really an age limit on getting published. Show business is more geared toward the young. HOWEVER, living in Nashville I see more than a few musicians make a lifelong living playing music in local bars. I think at some point you have to come to terms with the fact that while you may never be the next Julia Roberts, maybe there's just as much joy (if not more) in just performing at the local community theater.
ReplyDeleteIf I was going to go with the acting dream, I would definitely prefer acting at my local theatre. There does not seem to be as much pressure on people in a community than there is on a larger scale, i.e. Hollywood.
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