“Simply Living” Until You Can “Live Your Dream”

I grew up in a family that understood the importance of hard work. As a young person growing up in such a house, I learned certain lessons that carry on even today. One of those lessons was to never give up on my dreams.

Dreams often guide our journeys (in life) toward something that we excel in. If we follow our dreams, we may make a difference in the world one day.

The thing about dreams is that they don’t always happen immediately. Dreams, for the most part, aren’t reached overnight, and to accomplish goals you have to acquire certain skills and overcome certain challenges. You have to put in some work. You must persevere through the hard times to make it to where you ultimately want to be. That’s where the lesson comes in.

This lesson was presented to me in an unusual way… My grandmother used to ask me, “What are you going to do until you can do what you want to do?”

In other words, what are my plans to sustain my well-being until I reach my ultimate goals? My grandmother was a spiritual woman and believed that “idle hands are the devil’s workshop.” While spending summers at her house, we knew that if we weren’t doing anything productive, that we should at least make it look like we were.

Many times we get distracted by our dreams and fail to do what we need to do until our dreams become reality.

For example, I once dreamed of being a famous actor, but my financial situation was not looking so hot. No money in my pocket (or bank), yet I expected to become a famous actor. Once my hunger pains outweighed my world-famous-actor dreams, I decided to do something different.

I took small jobs to make ends meet and was able to get the financial freedom I needed to at least survive. I didn’t let my dreams go, but I made sure that while my dreams were in progress I was making sure my daily expenses were taken care of. I didn’t get so caught up in making my dreams come true that I wasn’t living in the reality of today.

Sometimes, when you don’t have anything else, you have your dreams. Make sure that until your dreams come true, you’re being productive; working jobs that may not be the best job, or a perfect job, but it’s a job. Continue simply living until you can live the dream!

Cornelius Booker is a senior member of the Regional Navigator team and a graduate of Oklahoma State University where he received his Bachelors in Marketing and later received his M.B.A with a focus on Business Marketing and Management. With his personal experience and passion for the disabled community, Cornelius’ insights are an invaluable asset to the Workforce Solutions organization.