This article is for every dreamer who has been taunted, belittled, laughed at or ridiculed. That’s a tough position to be in, but I’d like to encourage you to press on, despite what unsupportive friends and family think.
But be forewarned: sometimes those closest to us will openly mock a vision which seems beyond the scope of normalcy.
It’s a lonely place to be, but at least you’re in good company.
Jesus, the Son of God, even experienced it. Once, there was a celebration going on in Judea, where multitudes of people would flock, but Jesus didn’t want to go because people there sought to kill him. Some didn’t take too kindly to a “commoner” proclaiming himself to be king of an invisible kingdom in Heaven. You would think, though, he could at least count on his own family to be supportive of him, but this wasn’t the case. In John 7:3-4, Jesus’ own brothers were mocking him, trying to trick him into attending the celebration. “Go where more people can see your miracles!” they scoffed. “You can’t be famous when you hide like this! If you’re so great, prove it to the world!” According to verse five, “even his brothers didn’t believe in him.”
Regarding those who were cast aside for their “crazy” dreams, I started at the TOP, but here are a few others:
Walt Disney was fired from the Kansas City Star in 1919 for lacking imagination, and having no good ideas, if you can believe that.
JK Rowling was fired from a job for spending too much time writing stories on her computer.
Oprah Winfrey was fired as an evening news reporter because she couldn’t separate her emotions from the stories she was reporting.
Jerry Seinfeld’s part was cut from a sitcom after a poor performance, but he didn’t even find out until he showed up on set and could find no lines for his character in the revised script. (That’s just cold!)
After singing at the Grand Ole Opry, the concert hall manager told Elvis Presley he should forget about singing, go back to Memphis and keep his job as a truck driver.
Albert Einstein didn’t speak until he was four years old, couldn’t read until he was seven, was expelled from one school and denied entry into another.
Before realizing his dreams as a science and math whiz, Isaac Newton failed miserably at running the family farm.
Prior to finding incredible success on the 50s sitcom I Love Lucy, Lucille Ball was considered a B-actress, and was urged by one acting instructor to give up the profession.
Vincent van Gogh painted his entire life, only selling one painting to a friend for a very small sum.
Steven Spielberg was rejected from the University of Southern California School of Theater, Film and Television not once, but three times.
As for me, my “unrealized dream” is a title I trademarked, but have yet to bring to fruition:
“Demonkill” started as a song, then was going to be a Christian heavy metal band. Later it was an attempted and failed comic book, and now is to be a series of novels. I’m 50 years old, and have had the name bouncing ’round my head for 25 years, with no success.
So far.
But that’s ok, I’m gonna keep writing, dreaming and scheming until Demonkill becomes a reality. I’m really opening myself up for ridicule here by unsupportive family and friends who have heard the name, the ideas and the dreams, and watched first-hand the failed attempts, for decades. I know that.
However, I feel it’s more important to encourage YOU, the reader, to continue pursuing your dreams, than to concern myself with the opinions of those who don’t believe in me. I am a like-minded “crazy dreamer,” with an as-yet unrealized dream.
What about if we make a pact with each other to never give up until our dreams become reality? We must draw closer to other like-minded dreamers, back away from the scoffers, and never stop dreaming, no matter what.
So, with that being said, what do you dream of, and why have you allowed weaselly-eyed naysayers to asphyxiate your dreams?
Here’s to all the dreamers…
Broken People 