“Believe in your dreams, no matter how impossible they seem” - Walt Disney
In the world of North American high schools, we’re past midterms and full speed ahead into the second semester. On the other side of the world, Aussie schools are dipping their toes into the start of a school year, they’re in the time when you’ve been back for a few weeks and already feel like you’ve never left. US high school seniors are checking mailboxes, and university fourth years are noticing the days left till graduation. We’ve passed the time of the holding pattern; we’re in that space that screams it’s time.
Maybe you’ve got High School Musical’s number of “Start of Something New” rolling around your lyrics-filled mind, or The Greatest Showman’s “This is Me,” or Frozen 2’s, “Show Yourself” – no, just me? Regardless, the calendar has moved from the start to full throttle, and the stores have jumped from Christmas to Easter in a hot second. It’s time.
The exciting part of all of that is it’s up to us. The nerve-racking part of all of that is it’s up to us. The scary part of that is it’s up to us. Like so much of life, it all depends on our attitudes, or lenses, the life we carry, and the one we wish to step into.
Ready or not, it’s here.
I count myself lucky to still be in the lives of former high school students of mine. Some take the time to say hello on social media platforms, some text with new life directions or things that remind them of our previous endeavors, and others have become friends on equal footing where we swap pictures, know each other’s life challenges and triumphs, and while linked in a past life, are squarely in the present of today’s growth changes.
One, who I finally got to see last year on a chance meeting when our schedules crossed in New York, has changed her story more times than she can count. She knew early on that she wanted a life abroad, and gave her dream a chance. She changed careers, left full time for self-employment, went from traditional to more of a non-traditional space, and even added motherhood to her changing titles. The kid in my ninth-grade classroom who always knew her heart (and was the most out of the box thinker I taught in more than 15 years) would be so damn proud of the human she’s grown into today. So am I.
That student did something that many of us struggle with: she chose growth when comfort called, chose different when many in her circle screamed same. She took risks when there were easier paths, she stumbled, adapted, sought learning, and crafted a vision of life for herself…and when that needed new edges, she leaned in – even when it was hard. Those are not things we teach. Those are not subjects we grade in schools. They’re not found on standardized tests.
These attributes are forged from within, honed through activities and life, and often challenged again and again. We see it in the athlete who stumbles and gets back up, the artist who tries for decades to get noticed, the entrepreneur who has more flops than wins.
How we navigate the try again or the bounce back or what we want to be today or where we wish to land now parts of life are not found in a textbook or the pillow fort we (including myself) wish to stay in. Tin Tin’s Captain Haddock had a whirlwind adventure, yet his mantras are what most moved him forward. “When you hit a wall, you push through it,” he bellowed. The space between feeling knocked down and getting back up? When we can shrink that space, that’s where our wings grow strength.
Perhaps you’re not sure where you fit right now. Perhaps, as January winds to February and resolutions dry up, you’re finding your feet in this new year, this new semester, or amidst a growing desire to shift your story.
There’s a space for all of it.
A space to learn, a space to be messy, one for sadness, glee, gratitude, and growth. It takes time to figure it all out…and sometimes it changes before you do. Regardless, the dance, the cha cha, the practice of believing in your dreams, that you’ve got a chance to fly, and that no matter how many winds you hit you’ll continue on your journey…that’s the skill, that’s where the growth lives, that’s where the triumph shows up and your stars begin to shift.
Hollywood has recently entered awards season. A zillion actors and creatives will head to these events, yet we’ll only see photos of a handful. We’ll wonder how our favourites got snubbed, went without mention, and even a smaller number will actually win. All these people have made it to the top of their craft, and some will give you a glimpse, a small one into the decades of wanderings, wonderings, wiggles, and work it took to get there. Still, there are thousands more we’ll never hear of. They’ll remain quiet through the noise, peacefully navigating their journey, showing up, dreaming, and giving their desires a chance, yet again, to fly.
If you’re lucky, you’ll find a space to share your dreams, a team of humans (maybe even strangers) who pump you up along the way, offer a space to share the good and the everything, and mentor, catch you, or clap for you as you walk the path ahead.
The most important of those humans is you.
You’re the only one who knows what’s imprinted on your heart. The only one responsible for your happiness, and the only one who knows how much you want it and are willing to do the work to make it happen. Whether that’s getting into your dream school (or adapting to another if it’s not a thing), finding a way forward after graduation, choosing non-traditional even when the world shrieks otherwise, or starting one road and diverting along the way, you’ll never know until you try.
The world may shout from the rafters that there’s a path ahead that’s carved for you, but when your quiet voice whispers I want something else, listen…again and again and again. It may not be clear yet, but you deserve the chance to spread your wings and fly. I’ll be right there cheering you on the entire time.
You’re cleared for takeoff. Your wings await.
Four tips and tricks to help you lean into those dreams
“At first dreams seem impossible, then improbable, then eventually inevitable” - Christopher Reeve
Find your posse
“All dreams are within reach. All you have to do is keep moving towards them” - Viola Davis
Amy Poehler recently won a Golden Globe for her podcast, The Good Hang. The first award of its kind, in a field packed with legends of the game, she clinched it. It isn’t necessarily the largest audience or the longest running. The host and her podcast nurtured a space where people felt seen. Her virtual comfy couch nourishes. It gives people an opportunity to open up, engage, giggle, and feels like a warm hug. In her own words, “This is an attempt to try to make a very rough and unkind world filled with a little bit more love and laughter, and laughing with people, not at them.” (Glamour).
Where’s your space?
Perhaps it’s online in a class of strangers who cheer your dreams with honest zest. Perhaps it’s friends or family or a teacher or mentor, maybe an internship, or a bunch of humans who see your potential and believe in the promise of the world you see. It may take a while to find it, it may take trial and error, more times than you’d like. It may take, like for Amy Poehler, a new medium for your voice, or the guts to enter into something different with open eyes and a gentle heart. It’s out there. You’ll find it. And when you do, the energy shifts, your nervous system resets, and you know your dreams are in good hands.
Continue seeking.
Train for your dreams
“The entire point of life is to take chances on dreams that seem crazy to most, but feel like destiny to you” - Case Kenny
On the press tour for Wicked, Ariana Grande spoke often about training her voice for the audition and then continued after she got the nod for the magical role of Glinda. In Hugh Jackman’s recent stage production, he and his trainer took months of effort, energy, and a whole lot of sweat to curate a high stomping jump rope routine that wowed audiences in person and online. And the Olympians who share their skills and dreams with the world? Well, some of them have been training for this moment since they learned to walk.
Dreams deserve the same guts and grit.
It takes courage to give your dreams sunlight. It takes guts to give yourself permission to get in the room where dreams dance. It takes risk, perseverance, trust, grace, and grit the likes that would leave even Angela Duckworth speechless. We spend time training for races, getting healthy, and to win competitions.
What if we trained for our dreams, too?
Listen to the nudges of the Universe, learn with the ones who believe it’s worth it, and get in the life gym to give your dreams their best chance at flight. In a few days, the world will witness hundreds of athletes who have trained for their dreams take center stage. They’re willing to risk it all for their one shot - are you?
Get a safe space for takeoff and landing
“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream” - C.S. Lewis
Kate Winslet, renowned for her acting and directing skills, is unfortunately quite familiar with those naysayers. In a recent interview, she reminds us all that we can’t control the words or actions of others; all we can do is be our best self and do the best we can.
We need a safe space to land, a childhood treehouse of sorts, that reading nook, or the cozy pillow fort. Whatever or wherever makes you feel held, allows you peace of mind, a chance to breathe, a space to reframe, collect, or channel your energy – that. That’s what we all need: a safe space, the kind that allows you to be, simply yourself. The one where you go to recharge when the world is loud and days get rough and no matter how sparkly we appear on social media—we’ve all experienced those days.
Students may have a teacher, advisor, or a coach who opens a literal or figurative door. Some reignite their energy with therapists, community, activity, or another version of self-care. Still others channel the mantras and mindset the likes of Calm, Headspace, Insight Timer, or one of the other meditative online spaces designed to help us disengage to reengage. Perhaps your grounding space is healing energy of nature, a hike up a mountain, or axe throwing with your besties. When the naysayers are yelling and you’re all tapped out, you need your IRL security blanket, a space where even Linus from the Peanuts gang would feel safe.
Consider the biggest risk takers you know. Even they need a safe space to land to reenergize and take flight once again.
You deserve one, too.
Work on navigating the noisy voice of doubt
“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure” - Paulo Coelho
Holy heck, the voice of doubt can be loud. It doesn’t matter if you’ve got an Oscar, have multiple books to your name, or were voted valedictorian. For all the wins, it’s possible, at one point or another, the noisy nudnik of doubt has nudged its way into your brains pace, planting imposter syndrome or irrational screams as it does its very best to drown out the rational facts or evidence to the contrary. Olympic athletes deal with it. Writers deal with it. Television stars deal with it. Broadway phenoms do, too.
Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love) names the fear, talks to it, and tells it it can ride along but isn’t in charge of the music. Arthur C. Brooks reminds us that doubt is a necessary emotion, often offering humility to the humans experiencing it and warding off arrogance.
Ask any creative, and they’ve noticed it.
The aim is to be able to notice it, accept it, move through it, and do the thing anyway. Go for the role, hand in the application, submit the draft, enter the competition, rock the stage, own the field. Do the thing, but take the time for you to be the best you. Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka have shown us that superhumans are equally human. Ask for help, take time you need, step away when necessary, and when you’re feeling like you again, reclaim your stage.
Your dreams deserve the chance at the podium. Give them the space to shine.
Please click the photo below for a collection of my Through the Eyes of an Educator columns:
Stacey Ebert, our Educational Travels Editor, is a traveler at heart who met her Australian-born husband while on a trip in New Zealand. Stacey was an extracurricular advisor and taught history in a Long Island public high school for over fifteen years, enjoying both the formal and informal educational practices. After a one year 'round the world honeymoon, travel and its many gifts changed her perspective. She has since left the educational world to focus on writing and travel. She is energetic and enthusiastic about long term travel, finding what makes you happy and making the leap. In her spare time she is an event planner, yogi, dark chocolate lover, and spends as much time as possible with her toes in the sand.
Check out her website at thegiftoftravel.wordpress.com for more of her travel musings.