Is it okay to have small dreams and aspirations?

I think it's quite OK to have small dreams and aspirations. The important thing is - are you achieving them and does that make you happy? If so, then that is good. Dreams and aspirations are really fuzzy goals. Real goals are ones you probably don't even notice. When you say 'I must clean the house today' or 'I must do the laundry' or 'I must fix something to eat', you are setting yourself a goal. Implicitly, they are usually SMART goals as well, even if you don't consciously make all the connections. You may or may not have heard of SMART goals. They are ones which are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timely. Saying that you would really like to earn more than you do is not a SMART goal, whereas saying that you must find enough money to pay the rent this month probably is. If you really wanted to become a doctor or be a singer, you might have that as a goal but you would then have to work out how you would go about getting there. The goal of 'being what you want to be' is fuzzy until you actually plan out how you are going to get there. Once you have mapped out the minor goals (training, finance, organise social life around the training and so on), the big goal becomes more of a reality and all the little steps that you have worked out as 'achievable' make the main goal so. A lot of people don't dream big goals. Or, at least, they may dream them fleetingly but their 'reason' somehow tells them that they are not achievable so they don't go any further. A lot of people are actually scared of being successful and that is sometimes linked with their fear of failure. Once you can deal with those two big fears, the world could be your oyster, as the saying goes. Fear is an emotion that all of us suffer from in one way or another. Its main purpose is to protect us from danger and real harm, of course, but very often it's just an unreasonable 'fear of the unknown'. That sort of fear can be overcome, sometimes by just doing what we are afraid of doing and telling ourselves how silly we were to think that we might not succeed. Remember when you learned to drive a car? You overcame all sorts of silly fears just because you learned how to do something and you did it in stages so that you gained confidence at each step. Next time you have a big dream (we all do and I suspect that you do too but you have 'taught' yourself very effectively to ignore them), don't just put it aside saying that you 'have no hope of achieving it, so why bother'. Use it as an exercise. Say "OK let's assume that I do want to do this, what would be involved in getting there?" Write down the things that are stopping you from achieving it and how you might deal with each objection (and don't forget to note your emotions as you think about each step - your feelings and fears are important in that they are usually unreasonable and can therefore be overcome. Make it a game at first, if you like. Practice looking at every goal this way, even the small ones that you are 100% certain you are going to achieve because they are the most relevant ones to your daily life. Next try it on bigger, more long-term goals - planning a vacation, say. Maybe you really are happy with your small dreams but don't let your fear of ever doing anything big constrict and beat you down into believing that you never, ever, have big dreams! Happiness really comes from being able to achieve things we want to do. Many people have big mansions, smart cars ... even lovely families. None of them are really happy unless they know that they have put in that effort - planned, learned, used their skills - to get where they are. I might win a million on the lottery and have all of those things but I dare say that I would be no happier than I am now. If I dreamed and made those dreams a reality through working and learning skills and applying them, I could look back with satisfaction and see that the real worth of those material things does not depend on having them, it lies in the act of getting them.

honest poeple like you are very rare remain in this earth friend who accepts their capablities and don't follow the Blind Race which is going on every where in the world in nowadays and every person want to indulge in this race withouth knowing the result , its really greate and I think you are the first person who has such type of thinking and by hearing this I am so glad , just keep it up and try to do your best without caring about the other world this would finally provide you the pure satifaction. thanks for sharing

I think you should feel very proud of yourself for having realistic goals. Having big goals you might never reach only aggitates people and makes them unhappy. Being able to appreciate the simple things in life is a gift. I am not saying having a big goal is wrong, I'd say devide it into smaller goals that are easier to reach. It has been proven that reaching a lot of small goals is more fullfilling than reaching one big goal. And also: having a minor dissapointment and some successes it better than one huge failure. I don't see you as a lazy person, I think you know perfectly well what you want and you are to much down to earth to let capitalism and such sweep you off your feet. If you are able to be happy with less, why bother doing more? Live your simple life to the fullest, enjoy; be yourself.

I have very small dreams as well. I just want to earn well, enough to buy food, house and most of the things i want in life. And most importantly be happy. I don't need a career, don't need to be famous, or rich. A lot of my friends are doing well in their careers, but i also have a lot of friends who stay at home and be housewives. So i guess, whatever you choose is fine, as long as you are happy, your family is happy. That is more important.

I think that it is perfectly okay to have small dreams and ambitions. I myself have small dreams and hopes for my future. The most that I dream of most times is to keep my family healthy and safe from harm, to keep food in our bellies, a roof over our heads and to live a happy life together. I also dream that my children will succeed at whatever they try at, and that they too will find happiness in their lives as well. I think that it just means that we have more realistic goals in mind, and that those around us are looking far into their futures instead of consintrating on the now like us. Keep up your dreams and hopes.

Hi jaymeeliz...! I personally don't think that having small dreams means that you are no good... I actually prefer having small dreams because they are achievable and are practically more realistic. I know a lot of persons who knows how to dream really big yet aren't doing anything... But anyway, I don't think it's proper to term our dreams into something "small" nor "big"... No matter what kind of dream is there that you have.. If you have that great desire to realize it and it's motivating you to move and grow, then it's neither a small nor a big dream... It's... well, a dream... an inspiration... a drive to live... Although as humans, we would feel, every now and then, envious of our peers who are getting more successful in their paths, we shouldn't forget that, even if we are not where we want to be, we have to remember that we are neither on the same situation we once were... We were able to move... Maybe not a very big distance, unlike the others, but a significant distance which marks us to who we already are. Besides, the grass always looks greener on the other side... ^_^ Just live, enjoy life and reach your dreams...! God has His wonderful plans for all of us...^_^

I find myself comparing my accomplishments and dreams to my peers quite often. For example, a friend of mine and I decided to become writers in the same year. I'm writing for very small publishers, while she's ghost writing for celebrities and won't work for under $1 per word for magazines. It frustrates me because she and I started out with the exact same experience, but her career took off rapidly in comparison to mine. That's just one example...there are so many others. So, you're not alone in this experience. I try to wage forward with what I have and be as happy as I can.

All I know is, when we dream, we should dream to be the number one ( the best ). So if we fail, we end up to number two ( closer to being the best ). Of course it is okay to dream small. But why should we if we can dream big? Anyways, dreams are free.

As long as you have a goal and dream no matter how small others might think it is, it's important to you and that's really all that matters. Your goals about having a simple uncomplicated live, with a happy family and enough money to get by shows that you are humble and unselfish, both very admirable traits. Your dreams and goals are pretty much what we all want basically and I for one applaud your goals and hope you reach them all.

As long as you're happy and contented of what you are and what you have and you didn't take advantage of others to enhance yourself then I guess that's just fine to have small and simple dreams in life. As you said you just feel alright w/ yourself and you don't want to have a complicated life then be yourself. Sometimes the price of success is too high and it costs a lot to the point of lossing your identity and credibility and that's make it worst. However, I also believe in the saying that AIM HIGH TO ACCOMPLISH MORE; that if you're aiming for some higher ground and you were not able to attined it, then at least you were in the the second most high. A vivid example is when a student aim to be a Doctor but due to some constraints and circumstances wasn't been able to become one but instead became a Nurse. Is it not a great accomplishment?....it is indeed. I guess it just need some balancing; not too passive and lazy to accomplish nothing, nor too pushy and ambitious to soar high that it costs a dear price for an aim.

I feel that small dreams lead to big achievement's in life and you doing well and achieveing your small dreams and aspirations means that you are doing well in your chosen feilds what ever they may be I am a stay at home mother and well that is what I want to be doing at this moment so there for I feel I am achievening one of my dreams of staying at home with my kids as small as it may be but its mine and I am happy!

I think that it's really important that you have dreams and goals for yourself. Don't worry whether they are too big or not. You should dream big and feel happy about dreaming big; you have every right to go for whatever you want and plan your own happiness. You shouldn't feel pressurised into doing anything though. You should only get involved with what makes you happy, that is vitally important. Good luck and keep smiling. Andrew Welcome to My Lot by the way. Andrew

Your dreams aren't small. There's no such thing as a small dream. The simple life isn't so easy to achieve and a happy family is a commitment to a lifetimes work. It takes a little bit (sometimes a lot!) of bravery to just be yourself when others try to change you to what they think is best for you. Your family and your friends want what's best for you because they care about you. Find a way to tell them that you know what is best for you. You know what will make you happy, content, fulfilled, balanced and it has nothing to do with money goals, career ladders and achievement awards. It's an inner voice you're hearing that you need to follow...not all the others trying to tell you what success is. Germaine Greer once said "Human beings have an inalienable right to invent themselves." Invent yourself and live your own dreams.

yes,but i am not the only one who always thinks how to realized my little or my BIG dreams,but for now,i just wanna have enough money and love..

When you think about it, all big dreams are just a conglomeration of little ones... Just every little step you make towards your goal i a little goal in itself, and thus a small aspiration in the scheme of things

There is nothing wrong in having small dreams and aspirations. There is a saying that it drop by drop that ocean fills up. We should not get disappointed if we are not as successful as people around us appear. From such people, we should get motivated to do more better in our life.

I don't think it matters how big or small your dreams are. What matters is how important they are to you, and how they mean to you. Cheers, and good luck pursuing your dreams.

I think there's nothing wrong with small dreams, at least they're quite easy to be achieved. Only that others dream big as according to them dreaming is free (lol). While others believed that when you dream big, you're also doing great to achieve it. You will try to find ways in order to reach it. Should you failed at least you hit maybe the next line to it. Simple ambitions are okey. As long as these ambitions will make you comfortable and happy.

I think that having those smaller dreams are great. In the end though a dream is a dream right. The smaller the dream so to speak doesn't mean it's meaning is small to you. If you have tinier goals that you wish you attain this month and you attain them I think it makes it all the more realistic. With anything it's about gaining that confidence in yourself. As you grow your dreams grow with you So even though they seem small to you they may have seemed huge to you had you set it before you were at that comfortable stage. Any goal you personally meet is a great thing big or small it should be treated with the same sense of accomplishment and achievement. :)

there's nothing wrong with that..in fact it's even better because you are satisfied by dreaming small , it's easier to achieve with ease and gain that total satisfaction everyone craves for..just make sure these dreams are realistic..You don't have to work your heart out to achieve those big dreams others have..you must consider yourself lucky. About the family part, soon they will realize that you aren't the kinds who chase their dreams forever and never achieve even half of it.......