Living the Dream

It was interesting to hear one of my good friends speaking about ‘Living the dream’ one Friday night. He often asks the question, as greeting of sorts, ‘you liv’n the dream?’ or answers greetings with a similar saying “I’m liv’n the dream”. What I found interesting about the way he talks is that when he speaks about “Liv’n the dream” this particular occasion, he spoke in a sarcastic manner, not really in his usual cheerful manner. I wonder now if he no longer really believes, or if he and the others within my circle of friends ever did. I also thought over the next week about this phrase and what it means and if I believe it.

‘Living the dream’ to my friends mean essentially that. That you have obtained a life style or position in your life that you would dream to be in. I think that many of people’s view of this dream consists of having everything; a big house, great job/occupation, good people in you life, a ton of money, all the toys, endless leisure time and probably no really worries or problems. In fact after the conversation that night I started to think. What does it take to ‘live the dream’? Everything you ever wanted? A large fortune? A fancy car? A huge house? What? What is the dream?

The more I thought about the way my friends talk about “liv’n the dream”, the more I think they see the dream as being or becoming unattainable or very far off at best. I know many of them are not even half of the way to completing many of the goals they have set for themselves in regards of wealth; set years ago with out any real thought. I also know that this particular friend is not really happy or even content with his current job, and certainly does not have the leisure time he would like. But he has so many other things going for himself. He recently got engaged to a great woman, has a wonderful and supportive family, owns his own house, and is not really bound by any real financial constraints. He may not be able to buy an exotic car, go clubbing every night (though a couple a nights a week isn’t out of the question), or spend money like it is going out of style - but he really doesn’t have a lot to worry about either.

This is the case with the entire handful of other people that routinely use the phrase. They all have grim outlooks in the fact that they really don’t think they will ever truly live the dream. I truly think the only thing keeping their outlooks down is their instance on a particular way of dreaming, an insistence on the material, or a structured view influenced by the proverbial Jones. I say this not to be judgmental but because of my recent thoughts on my own situation as I begin to examine my own dreams. I wonder how far off am I from ‘living the dream.’ What do I need to be there?

Thinking back only five years, I remember another conversation. At that time I worked at a telecommunications company, had just purchased my house, and my pay was quite good for just finishing a one year technical program. I remember talking to one of my co-workers saying, well I have the job and house all I really need now is a good girl, a dog, and a truck. The more I ponder the question about ‘living the dream’ the more I come back to that statement. The one item I am missing from that list isn’t money, a bigger house, a fancier car, or anything really material. From that list I only lack the dog. So to obtain my dream I guess I need to just stop by the pet store one weekend.

Unfortunately, I have grown since then. I realized there were some things I was missing, at least at that time, that I didn’t realize I needed. They still aren’t the bigger house, the fancy car, the clubs, or any of that. No, the only things I really lacked at that time were professional challenges, and a sense of accomplishment. As the job was not easy, but it was not all that challenging either I was in a rut and didn’t even know. A couple years latter I was transferred to Iowa, and when I decided to try something new hit some major road blocks because of the my level of education and the economy at the time. I realized then that I needed more and had to accomplish certain things to get there. That is exactly what I did. I earned my degree(trust me, this was no small feat after my previous performance) and when it came time to interview and choose a career path I found I was most interested in the one that scared me the most. The one with the most challenges.

So as far as “living the dream” is concerned, do I know what it is, and how far away am I from it? Well I think I do know what my version of the dream is. It consists of just a few things, a great woman to spend time with and that challenges me, good people in my life (family and friends), many challenges and opportunities (inside or outside of a particular career), a place of my own to take care of and live in, and a pick up truck. The dog has become optional. So am I living the dream? In contrast to many of my friends, I have to say “Yes”, at least the only dream that really matters to me. All the other stuff is really just peripheral. So here’s hoping it just gets better!