What does ‘The American Dream’ mean to you?
by Jonathan Hilton
Dreaming is one of the powers of the human mind. There are all sorts of dreams, day dreams which distract from doing our work, and then sweet dreams which occur at night to portray worlds, people and situations we may never see any other place.
There are nightmares that bring our deepest, darkest fears to our experience. The American Dream is a phrase that has symbolized many things to many people. To me it means that anything is possible if a person is free they can do anything they set out to do.
The words themselves have been so diluted by politicians and media brain washers that they have been stripped of much of their beauty. Yet I believe it doesn’t have to be so, dreams still matter and here is why.
No Dreams, No Direction
When we are young we are encouraged to dream as big as we like. Reach for the stars, don’t worry that it will take a lot of work, or that it may not happen. Kids are encouraged 
to dream that all things are possible. That is one of the reasons I think people are perpetually drawn back to their youth, dreams were not only encouraged but there were a multitude of them.
Somewhere along the path of life, that freedom to dream is kicked to the back seat of our minds. It becomes more about the common sense of a situation that becomes important. Find a career that you can survive at, forget those crazy dreams.
So we do, for college, career, and family we forget what it is that we dreamed about so that we can chase what makes sense to others. The problem is that without a dream you are left like a rudderless ship, wondering if you could control your direction where would you actually go? Without a dream there is no compass on your actions and worst of all, you will find it difficult to be happy.
Never to Late To Dream Big
The good news is that it is never too late to start to remember your dreams. Think back to 
what you used to think of when you were young. It doesn’t have to be well thought out or make a lot of sense, it has to light the fire of your mind. The bigger the better. Life can sometimes be hard and it is difficult. At these moments it is only our dreams that sustain us.
If you have dreamed of living on a tropical island, writing a novel, developing a cure for cancer or traveling across the country. It makes no difference how big the dream, the bigger the better. Dream it and then start the action steps that will help you make it a reality.
Not all dreams will come true, but they will always lead you toward a greater existence. It will also make the ride a lot more interesting as you reach to achieve all your dreams .
You Are Not Crazy to Dream
Never fear there will be an auditorium full of people who will want to discourage you and tell you that the dream you are following will never happen. The choice is to listen and 
never try to accomplish something you desire, or to ignore them and move forward at all costs.
Remember the people who are telling you that you are crazy to try, are more than likely too scared to follow their own dreams and what if you accomplish your dream? What will that say about their lives? Do not listen to those who are negative about your dreams and aspirations because nobody has any idea of what will happen in the future if you try your best. We all know what will happen if you give up, NOTHING!
There are millions of people in the world who settle for mediocrity, and listen to critics. Don’t listen to them, your greatness is far more important than fitting in or listening to fools.
Back to the American Dream
One of the reasons I think that the American Dream has lost its meaning is that it seems
like the dream has been narrowed down quite a bit. I think all kids are groomed in education to go to school so that they can get a career and grow up to become good consumers.
They should buy a house, fill it full of stuff and raise children who in their turn will grow up to be consumers, and so on, and so on. What if you dreamed of something else? That is what the American Dream means to me. The right to dream of a life and accomplishments that are yours alone and may not fit into the narrow ideas produced en masse from corporate offices.
Hold on to your dreams and become the best that you can be!
What does ‘The American Dream’ mean to you?
When you dream it might come true, When you dream, DREAM BIG!
