“If your world doesn’t allow you to dream, move to one where you can.”
Billy Idol
This world does not want you to dream. I know that’s a pretty black-and-white statement, but it’s true. When we dream big, we compete with other people’s dreams, at least that’s the way most people see it.
Most people have a scarcity mindset that goes as follows: If you are winning, I’m losing, so join my team and help me chase my dream. The scarcity mindset maintains that the world and all it has to offer makes up a pie with a limited number of slices, and when someone takes a slice, there is one less for them.
This is why most people want you around as long as you are serving them and their ambitions. There are some benefits to this way of thinking. It creates monopolies and billionaires, but it also fosters a dog-eat-dog mentality. This mentality incentivizes everything and wants to consume more than it needs.
It’s important to recognize this system of thinking for what it is so that you can determine if you’re in an environment where you can dream. If you find yourself in a place where you’re not being encouraged to dream or chase your dreams, you can leave.
You can pick up and move to another world where people appreciate ambition and share a growth mindset. This type of mindset believes there is enough opportunity for everyone to have a dream and encourages others to chase their ambitions. It’s also the type of environment where good, generous people will enter your dream and help you, knowing that the world does return the good that’s put into it.
The world returns to us what we are.
Remember, if your world doesn’t allow you to dream, move to one where you can.
Bits of Wisdom Podcast #47