What is a dream if it doesn't come true?

1. 79

   g-girl11posted 12 years ago

   What is a dream if it doesn't come true?
   
   In the song "The River", Bruce Springsteen asks,  "is a dream a lie if it don't come true, or it something worse?"  I dream of publishing a successful book and have been sending queries out to agents for over ten years.  At times I give up, then I try again.
   Are some dreams just not meant to be?  Are they signs that we are destined for a different direction, or should we never give up on a dream?
   Do you have an unfulfilled dream?  Do you believe it will come true? 
   
   I would love your thoughts!
   
   

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2. 0

   Garifaliaposted 12 years ago

   Ten years is a long time--true. However, Jack Canfield in his book The Success Prinicples can give you many reasons and hopes why not to give up.  Click onto the links below and I hope they help.
   
   http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/006059 … 0060594888
   
   http://www.jackcanfield.com/index.php
   
   There's a Greek saying: Ο επιμένων νικά = He who persists wins
   
   All the Best!!!!!!!!!

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      g-girl11posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks Garifalia!  I read Jack Canfield,  not sure if I've read Success Principles. I'll check out those links.  You inspire me to keep trying--but sometimes I wonder if unfulfilled dreams are signs pointing us elsewhere, maybe somewhere better even?

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      Garifaliaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Now there's a point worth considering!!!!! I had forever tried to write a novel, but I couldn't get passed the first two chapters. After years of dead-end effort I wound up here.  I can't say that your dream isn't meant to be, that's your decision.

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      g-girl11posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      There is the whole "attachment to the outcome" thing. I know when I "let go" of things, that's when good things come to me. But I find it hard to let this one go...lots to think about!

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   shivanchirakkal10posted 12 years ago

   dear g-girl,
   Dream..dream..dream..and d...r...e..a..m, in this way our all life rolling. With out dreaming we have no existence, life become colorless.Dream about a lovely girl/boy friend, dream to have a sweaty child, dream a nice house, good job, writing hub and so, will give us   meaningful  days. All dreams come true. No. It all depends. If you develop your dream as your aim or ambition, continues efforts will fulfill your dream come to true. Mahatma Gandhi  dream about the freedom of India. It become the only aim of him.After a long long struggle and struggle he win it.
   Never give up it. In dreams you can visit the whole world, you can travel in your dreaming car, you can become the best house wife, best mother or even you can become the us president.   So do efforts to make your dreams in true

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      g-girl11posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you shivanchirakkal!  Beautiful answer.  Makes me want to keep my dream alive!

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4. 51

   whonunuwhoposted 12 years ago

   Personally I am very glad that all of my dreams have not come true, and rarely does one do so. Dreams are a part of our lives in the unconscious realm of sleep. We keep on using our minds, even in sleep, and the dreams reflect our fears, joys, challenges, and struggles of daily life. In our dreams. our mind finds a release, or kind of therapy in dealing with often stressful issues we face. A dream about a success in our undertakings such as writing or work related issues, can be achieved if we continue to strive onward and not give up. We should take every avenue and explore every resource, whether we seek advice from other successful people are do it all on our own. We have to try in realizing our dreams and about a wonderful goal in our life.

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      g-girl11posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      whonunuwho, I'm referring to wishes and goals rather than dreams while sleeping.  I like that you say  to try to realize our dreams is a wonderful goal in life.  Maybe it is about "striving onward" and "not giving up", whether or not it comes true.

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   2. 51

      whonunuwhoposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Have you been to he library and checked out publishers books, asked help from other folks who had a book published, or go on the net to ask?

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5. 75

   Levertis Steeleposted 12 years ago

   A dream is a consequence of the thinking mechanism of the brain functioning on its own without the advantage of conscious control. The brain could function by itselt without consciousness and the rest of the body if it could be kept alive the way it is in THE TERMINATOR. Many a fantasy of the past has become a reality.
   Truthfully, I do not know if this makes sense.

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   1. 79

      g-girl11posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Very thought-provoking.  Are you speaking of dreams when we sleep?  My question is about our goals and wishes.  But it's still interesting!

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6. 33

   edhanposted 12 years ago

   A dream can be a thought you have during the day. Or it can be you are actually performing a soul travel with your spirit.
   
   If you are doing soul travel, then you might encounter deja vu when similar places come in sight.
   
   A dream can also be a tell tale sign of what is going to happen during your life. You need to have the right interpretation to know the meaning of your own dream.

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      g-girl11posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I love "soul travel with your spirit".  I definitely feel I have a calling with writing but do wonder why success eludes me.  What is this dream telling me?  Thanks Edhan!

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7. 60

   Stephen Govoniposted 12 years ago

   I think dreams drive life as we know it!  Why wake up every day if you have nothing to look forward to! We love to dream, we love to aspire, and we WISH it would come true.  Having a dream doesn't diminish it's worth when it stays just a dream.  Not all dreams come true. They are a sliver of a hope in an uncertain future.  Cheers to all of us Dreamers!
   
   I have many more dreams to look forward to trying to fulfill!

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      Garifaliaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Beautifully said!

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   2. 79

      g-girl11posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I agree with Garifalia, beautifully said.  Your words are worth repeating:  "A dream doesn't diminish its worth when it stays just a dream."  This makes me want to keep my dream, no matter the outcome.   Thanks Stephen!

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8. 60

   Ricksen Winardhiposted 12 years ago

   For me, dreams are the ideals that I will keep chasing after. It is my blueprint that I keep thinking of, such that I know how to build my dream to reality. Of course, there are a lot of obstacles that I often find. Even if I fail, I will not give up. But if I keep failing, I will stop for a while, relax, and think whether I should change my ideals. It can be a sign that I am more suitable for another destiny different from my dream.
   
   Working towards your dream is like trying to find a treasure chest. I use metal detector to determine a potential spot where the chest can be at. This metal detector is our assessment of our values, talents, and interests. Next, I keep digging the ground until I can find it. But if I cannot find it after a great deal of digging, I think there is a higher possibility that the treasure chest is buried somewhere else. Then, I'll use my metal detector again for the next potential spot.
   
   I wish you all the best for your dream on publishing a successful book, as well as for your thought on your dreams.

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   1. 79

      g-girl11posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you Ricksen Winardhi!  I like your metal detector analogy--makes me wonder if I am looking in the wrong spot for my dream???  Great ideas to ponder!

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9. 60

   Glassoposted 12 years ago

   I is always nice to have a dream. Sometimes dreams could show us what will come, sometimes they are warning us of something and sometimes they are resulted from processing our daily issues. In addition, dreams could also give us an answers to important questions. However, every person who ever lived, lives and will live on this planet, is an individual. Thus, dreams could have various definition for each and everyone of us.
   In your case of your dream--publishing do not give up! There is always a hope. Think what you can do to show publishers your writing credibility. Start with small things: article reviews, volunteering for a newspaper, pose a question to a magazine  and so on. Here is the link that inspires me all the time:
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9whxWNI7bE

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      g-girl11posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks Glasso.  I will check out that link and not give up.  I like your take on dreams, too!

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10. 53

    Giddy Geezerposted 12 years ago

    Sometimes in the process of pursuing our dreams they take a turn in a different direction! If your dream is getting your book published then I say don't give up on that dream but there is no reason not to explore some sideroads on your journey to success! Remember that old saying "Don't put all your eggs in one basket!" Submit an article or poem to your favorite magazine or write a short story and enter it in a local juried arts contest but the main thing is KEEP WRITING! Do not become discouraged. Give copies of your manuscript to some local teachers, professors or academics and ask if they would give you an honest critique. If your manuscript was written ten years ago maybe it could use a little tweeking or updating to make sure it is appealing on todays market. If you love to write then it is a part of your soul. My advice is to follow your passion wherever it might lead!

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    1. 79

       g-girl11posted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Good ideas, Giddy Geezer!  I am keeping the dream alive by writing here on HubPages.  I like the ideas of "sideroads" on a journey.  It is exciting to think of where a dream will lead...a much more inspiring way to look at a dream as yet unfulfilled.

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    2. 72

       manatita44posted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Answer: An unfulfilled dream. What's yours g-girl?

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    3. 79

       g-girl11posted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Hi manatita.  My dream is to be a successful writer.  I'm still trying to figure out why it's not happening for me, although this forum is encouraging me to keep trying!

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11. 83

    Rufus89posted 12 years ago

    There's a cool poem about that, called Harlem by Langston Hughes:
    
    What happens to a dream deferred?
    
          Does it dry up
          like a raisin in the sun?
          Or fester like a sore—
          And then run?
          Does it stink like rotten meat?
          Or crust and sugar over—
          like a syrupy sweet?
    
          Maybe it just sags
          like a heavy load.
    
          Or does it explode?
    
    Personally, I don't think we should ever give up on our dreams. If they don't come true, then maybe the real purpose of the dream is simply the pursuit. Like they say, the journey is half the fun.

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    1. 79

       g-girl11posted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I thought of this poem after I posted my question! Reading it now, I don't think we should defer our dreams! Giving up on them makes them fester!! Thanks so much for sharing.

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12. 60

    moutushimakkaposted 12 years ago

    what i feel about dream: is like no one can dream like a writer; and it's my humble request to those who really dream, they should share their experience in writing, that others can also fascinate with this beautiful "dream world", because dreams really have amazing world all around and realizes you to your imaginations which sometimes takes you beyond this materialistic world to its own real world your "dream world" which is beautiful like heaven i don't believe that dreams don't come true, i lived somany dreams in my real life, so for sure dreams come true rather you cultivate them with your powerful positive energy. It'a an amazing idea to share the dreams of our lives, because i do believe in dreams

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       g-girl11posted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I'm so glad you believe in them, moutushimakka!  I do, too!

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13. 73

    lone77starposted 12 years ago

    A dream that remains unfulfilled is merely a wish.
    
    Look at the idea of "wish." A wish is merely a mental image of self separated from the object of desire from a distance.
    
    By "dreaming" for something (as in "wish") you merely create a persisting distance.
    
    Don't do that!!!
    
    To create your dreams, merely create them. Stop wishing. Now, if dream is merely a picture of the accomplishment, then you're on the right track.
    
    Picture yourself there. If doubt crowds the picture, then look at the doubt. The light of truth makes that problem disappear. Don't avoid problems or doubt. Face them. But hold your picture of the finished result as with perfect confidence. Feel it. Walk as if you have it. Shout -- laugh -- as if you have it.

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    1. 79

       g-girl11posted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I like this, lone77star!  Very hopeful and inspiring!

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14. 66

    miakounaposted 12 years ago

    This is a very good question.
    
    I believe that dreams are a way of setting a goal and giving a person hope for the future. They give you something to reach for. Or, a dream could give you something to be excited about possibly reaching. Overall, a dream is intended to give you something to look foward to, but is not yet a reality.  Just because it has not become a reality, doesn't mean that you should give up.
    
    When a person dreams, they open the possibilities in their life to new options, new ideas, and the possibilitiess of it becoming a reality. It is the hope of reaching that moment in your life, even if it is just in your mind. In my opinion, if you can see it....really imagine it.....then you are halfway to making that dream a reality. The rest involves a person taking the steps to making it real.
    
    I have dreams that I have not reached yet in my life, but definitely can imagine them in my mind. I still hold hope for the future that I will reach my dreams and do not see myself giving up them anytime soon.  Just because a dream takes longer than expected, doesn't mean it is unreachable or should be forgotten. It just means that you may need a new direction, a new angle, or a new way to reach the dream.  If I have to, I will spend the rest of my life trying to make my dreams become reality.
    
    The dreams I have already made reality (my Master's degree), was a dream for ten years before I made it my reality.  That was just one of my dreams that I really wanted for a long time, but I held onto hope when I thought it would not happen.
    
    This is why we have dreams- they give us our drive in life to better ourselves and give us hope that we will make them reality. I believe that everyone should always reach for their dreams and never give up. Our entire success in our lives started with a dream and eventually became reality. If we gave up on any, we would not have gotten this far already.

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       g-girl11posted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I LOVE this answer, miakouna!  You are right, dreams give us drive in our lives.  I also love that you said you will that you will spend the rest of your life trying to make your dreams a reality.  What inspiration!  Congrats on your Master's, too!

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