Chasing Dreams Vs. Playing Safe

What's the right choice?

Life is an enigma of its own. One that we can never hope to unravel within an entire lifetime. As children, we are taught to play it safe, stay within the lines, and make choices that don’t vex us in any way. But as we grow older, everything changes. We undergo a metamorphosis that replaces our need for safety with the burning desire to achieve something of worth—most would call it "chasing your dreams." But what does this really mean?

Dreams can be anything from the simple thought of wanting to write an essay to becoming an accomplished bestselling author. It’s that simple. But what comes after is something no one really talks about: action. As we traverse through this journey called life, we have dreams of diverse proportions, but how often do we take the concerted effort to breathe life into those dreams and bring them to reality? Much like blowing up a balloon, the force of your dreams depends on the effort you’re willing to put into them. Yet, most of us love playing it safe, don’t we? Because playing it safe requires complacency. Lounging about and waiting for time to pass us by, hoping for something good to mysteriously drop into our laps, without moving an inch or investing effort into it.

The problem with playing it safe is that once you get used to it, there’s really no way out. What seems like eternal freedom is nothing short of a blissful reprieve for the doom that is to come. You might ask, why should I chase after my dreams when I can play it safe? Here’s the thing: after a certain point in time, no one’s really going to tell you what’s best for you. Not your friends, not your parents, not your partner—no one. And why should they? They aren’t you. Only you know the length and breadth of your dreams, but aimlessly dreaming about what can be instead of working toward what should be is nothing short of a lucid dream. You might as well keep dreaming if you aren’t willing to bring your dream to life.

Again, what exactly does your dream look like? Truth be told, anything that liberates you—anything that gives you a sense of euphoria knowing that you are capable of so much more—that is exactly what a dream is to me. Here’s the catch, though: going after your dreams isn’t for the faint of heart. There will be inevitable setbacks that push you back into the dirt, maybe even forcing your dreams to remain in the confines of your mind. Then again, that is the whole point of chasing after your dreams. An apt analogy that comes to mind is from the Invincible comic books. The hero starts as your average super-powered human/alien hybrid, but over the course of the comics, he evolves into an invincible being of his own. Another analogy is Achilles—invulnerable except for a small spot on his heel, which led to his death. This would come to be known as an Achilles’ heel.

Here’s the thing: you will definitely have an Achilles’ heel of your own, and sometimes the pain will be so excruciating that you will have to sit down and rethink your approach to your dreams. This is exactly when you will have to make the difficult choice: play it safe or relentlessly pursue your dreams? Life always involves an opportunity cost. Let’s say you decide to sit back, Netflix and chill, while your dreams take a backseat. Chances are, you wouldn’t be able to get your dreams in motion. But what if you could sacrifice a modicum of your comfort just to work on what you really wanted? There’s no telling what you could achieve.

Then again, it all boils down to what you really want out of life. Playing it safe requires a great deal of complacency, whereas chasing after your dreams is about unshackling yourself from these limitations and moving forward with absolute vigor. Again, none of this can be fathomed unless you truly experience it yourself. You have to play it safe at some point, and at another point, while chasing your dreams, you have to learn to play it safe to mitigate the risk factor to some extent. As interchangeable as it is, prioritizing one over the other never really brings about any good. The strength of your dreams depends on the willingness you have to put them into motion. Would you believe that all of those who achieved the so-called "extraordinary" were people who just sat around waiting for things to happen to them? No, they realized early on that playing it safe just wasn’t their cup of tea, so they set out to change the landscape of their lives by making their dreams a reality.

In some instances, chasing your dreams isn’t really up to you. It’s also up to the present scenario of where you are in life. So what can you do to make your dreams a reality? Your first order of business should be to stop playing it safe. Start with a clean slate. Write down what you want for yourself in life, and if it doesn’t align with your dreams, it deserves a seat at the back burner. See, we each try to accommodate things that aren’t for us by cramming them alongside our dreams until our dreams are reduced to nothing short of an afterthought. So, work on you, for you. Going after your dreams isn’t an instantaneous process; it is a compound effect that slowly adds value over time. The small things you do on a daily basis are what add up to the larger plans you intend to work on. As always, dreams require action, and action requires effect.

The bottom line is that once you begin to play it safe, even the most attainable goal looks impossible. Why? Because the fear of discomfort has set in, and the willingness to put in the work has been reduced to an abysmal thought that can no longer be put into action.

You learn to relish and revel in the struggle, because it yields bountiful fruits that can be reaped in the long run.

This leaves enough and more room for external parties to bring forward their aspirations, which may conflict with your dreams or what you want to achieve in life. The point isn’t to be heartless or selfish; the point is to develop priorities that push you to bring your dreams to life. And if truth be told, each one of us is capable of bringing our dreams to reality. We just have to stop playing it safe!

Chasing your dreams is a non-linear journey, and it will be the wildest, most daring one of all. The question is, are you truly up for what’s in store for you?

Penned By: Aakil Riyaz