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Health & Fitness

Patch Blog: In Honor of MLK Day

Keep your dream(s) alive.

In honor of MLK day (and my birthday), I wanted to write about dreams.

I have a dream. My dogs Lucky and Kuiipo have dreams. People have dreams. Big dreams. I'm not talking about your nightmare where Freddie Kruger chased you and you couldn't move. I'm not talking about your dream when you were flying around in the Millennium Falcon with Han Solo and Chewbacca. I'm talking about those dreams that move you to do things, things you might not want to do, but those things you're driven to do, to accomplish. The thing you want so bad, you would write some blog post online, the dreams that have built bridges and buildings. 

I think it's the norm for people to want more - call it greed, call it human nature - but I believe monotonous dreams are not essential quality of people. One of my dreams is to fix LA's traffic (like I said, big dreams). Dreams are still present, but the ways of getting there are diminishing and changing rapidly. 

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I think people have a goal in mind. Many goals in mind. They see it at the end of the tunnel. The problem comes when one has to build a bridge to get to the other side, when one has to find a way to get to the goal. 

It seems like some of us have been led to a false road, somewhat lied to. The whole "promise" of if one goes to college and graduates, there will be a job, no, better yet, a career that will pay back the college loans in no time and give a comfortable financial life to the college graduate. It seems like the blueprint given to our generation seemed good, almost perfect, yet many college graduates are struggling to find jobs today. 

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Sure, let's blame the economy. Let's blame the government. Dreams are still there: the dream of big houses, fast cars, lucrative paychecks, grand vacations, the American dream even. Those who are pursuing their dreams are the ones who are going to make it through the tough time we are living through today.

I can't say I'm struggling too much. I didn't finish college but took a job that pays salary, no matter if I did great, sub-par, terrible, or no work at all for those 15 days worth of paycheck. As long as I don't screw up too bad, no matter my productivity, the pay will come. 

By taking this job, sometimes I feel like I'm wasting few years of my life. I have benefited greatly from this occupation but at what cost? I can't say I'm truly happy, and each day on this job, makes me want to give up the dreams I had for years, just give up the dreams and do this job. It pays the bills with no problems. Give me extra money every month. My job's not too bad. It's a job that I am very proud of, and it's a job that are appreciated by many. It has its ups and downs. More ups definitely, but the downs do come hard and never, at a good time. It's easy. It's doable, pays pretty good with great benefits, but this auto-pay job is not what I want to do. 

It's like presenting a problem without a solution. It's like having the answer without the formula. Our generation has been faced with more changes and turmoil that has affected our dreams, that has changed plans for many. The dreams are still there, but It's slowly fading away, people accepting "life as it is," accepting the mundane jobs that keeps the paycheck coming and pay for things that need to be paid for. 

Keep your dreams alive. The dreams of people have brought you the technology, the cool little application on your phone, equality amongst people. Just because the dream seems to be fading away, just because the dream seems to be out of reach, it doesn't mean that it can't be accomplish.

But I still have a dream, lots of dreams. And I want to accomplish them. I don't look forward to going back to finish my two bachelors in my late 20's. Hell no. But I have things to be done to do what I want to do in life. Goal's there. Clear in my mind.

The road is what I'm not too sure about. But I'm not giving up because the economy is rough, market's tough and obstacles are in the way. 

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