I want to write a dream. I know it starts with the words I use. I want to coin phrases that are so catchy that they outlive me. I want to release poems, shorts stories, and articles that spark the most fundamental levels of change. I want to be a hero in the eyes of my daughters. More importantly, I always wanted to shape my reality through better thoughts, better actions and more transparent truths.

 In light of this, I want to speak better to and better about my family. I want to stand on the shoulders of the giants that are my parents and my grandparents. I want to crystallize life as I’ve known it so I can give it to my daughters in hope of steering them clear of obstacles that I’ve faced and explaining grief that I hope they never feel.  In preparing for this great goal I have one challenge that I can’t escape.

I can rewrite my past

One of my professors in college convinced me that the best writing is sparked from one of two places:

1) The most imaginative perspectives.

-or-

2) The most transparent souls.

With this in mind, I ask myself a simple question, “What happens when we take the best of both of these qualities?”   

In my writing I can make my last love my first love. I can make my sporting career eternal. I can pretend that I’m the most innocent, forgiving, inspiring, selfless person that ever lived. I can become the best brother and best son. I can exceed the passion of the Greeks. I can overshadow philosophical giants by removing their names and repeating their words. In short, I can frame my past in such a way that it comes off perfect.

I don’t think this would help my kids. I don’t think this will help me either. As I put down the pen from a heavily revised and polished version of my life I might smile. I might even feel better about myself for a moment. I might be excited to share this version of my story with my kids. However, is this the kind of dream I was meant to write to shape my reality? I don’t think so!

I choose to write what’s REAL

Writing what’s real and what’s true is pretty amazing. While I’m doing this, every now and then something magical happens. The words of my college professor take a new direction. I start to write beyond what is and drift into what I hope to come. Though I refuse to try to rewrite the past I have the honor of writing my hopes for tomorrow. Thankfully all of us have this gift. When I write these dreams I know I’m starting to write the future. In this future I can see my daughters all grown up. I can see the economy recover. I can envision infinite possibilities that lead to better people and a better world.  

As you’re reading this I don’t know what your dreams are. I do, however, know the power of a dream. A dream can become a North Star that points us towards our best self. Writing gives each of us a chance to shape our thoughts, and thus, shape our future. It’s not real until it’s written down.

I’d love for everyone to share a few of their simplest tips on how to write your dreams below.