Reflection: Keeping Your Dreams Alive In The Face of Reality

As a Gen X'er, I have a particular take on your questions, particularly the first one:

Is it possible to hold onto a dream while still accepting reality?

People of my generation (Gen X born 1961-1981) are pretty good at this. We lived through a lot of difficult times as children, when society was fractured and chaotic. We are survivors, but like most humans we never totally lose sight of our dreams. Take a look at the way some Gen X'ers (Obama is a good example) manage to remain true to a dream while accepting reality. We tend to call it "setting goals" rather than dreams.

Gen X can be a cynical bunch, but there are a few areas we know very well.

Dave

Obama is certainly not an Xer. It's comical to those of us who are genuine experts in the field of generational studies to see the occasional blogger insist that Obama is an Xer. It has become clear in recent years that there is obviously a generation between the Boomers and Xers, and while the exact years of this generation (commonly called "Generation Jones") are sometimes debated, the existence of this generation (usually defined as born mid-1950s to mid-1960s) is no longer the source of serious academic debate. This is why you can find so many references to experts saying that Obama is a Joneser, and almost none saying he is an Xer. Neil Howe is basically the only expert who has said that Obama is an Xer, yet even he alternates between calling him an Xer and a Joneser.

Yes I think all of this is possible. It reminds me of two favorite quotes of mine:

Life is marathon, not a sprint.

The days are long but the years are short.

It's easy to get caught up in the day to day and think that your goals and dreams seem like they will take forever to hatch. Working that low paying job while waiting for the project to finish that will finally establish your career or living in a tiny apartment with no space and wondering when you will get a bigger place to call your own. But you have to take a step back and enjoy the journey, enjoy what you are in now.

It is not easy, but think back to maybe your last job or the last place you used to live. So long as they weren't terrible memories, you might have quite a few fond recollections of these. I know I think back on my first apartment very fondly. My first job as well. But in both places, I remember being restless and thinking about wanting to buy a home some day or wanting a "real" job some day. That will come. But the day to day moments with your friends and loved ones, the humorous ways you get past what you are going through now, this is life and this is the journey. Our dreams and goals are tools we use. We think of ourselves as being on a train car heading towards a destination. But in fact, it's more like a hampster wheel and occasionally our cage and surroundings change a little. The point is to learn to respect yourself, have self confidence, and find what makes you happy. Find what makes the days worth living. Goals and dreams (even ambitious ones) are great, but you need to focus on the joy and the satisfaction of accomplishment in the day to day as well.

Dave - Nice point about Generation X. I like that you feel the answer to this question is "yes." Actually, it's interesting - the dates you are using for Gen X include me - I was born in 1981 - even thought I feel more Gen Y.

LaTosha - Thanks for your thoughts. I'm glad to hear you have some far-out dreams! (That makes me feel better :) ) And, I'll remember your advice about maybe keeping them to myself.