When I Close My Eyes, This Is What I Dream

Before I was a blogger, I was first an aspiring author, and before I was an aspiring author, I was first a writer. I am still all of these things. So, naturally, when I got the opportunity to work with Prudential and think about my goals, I did it in words. Because my words are what I have. I often wonder if a person ever gets to a point in their life where they feel like they have accomplished every single thing they have ever dreamed of and life is now perfect, just as they dreamed it would be. Or do we simply live our dreams and dream up new ones? Is it always about the chase? Is the chase more exciting and fulfilling than the prize itself? I wouldn’t know yet.

I know that money isn’t everything, even when you have billions (maybe even trillions… hello Bill Gates!), but do the likes of Oprah Winfrey and Bill Gates go to bed thinking, “Ugh. I wish I had a new dream to fight for?” Again, I would not know yet. What I do know is that I want it all. As a woman, I am constantly being told and shown – directly and indirectly – that I actually cannot have it all. Do I want to be a wife? Or do I want my independence? Do I want to be a mom? Or do I want to climb the ladder in my career? Why do I have to choose?

I think I wake up with a new dream every morning, and it does not matter to me that I have not accomplished some of my dreams yet. As long as I’m living, I hope I never get tired of dreaming. At the center of my goals, I want to be a wife and mother (I’m already a wife), and clearly, I want many other things, too. In my head, I have written many bestsellers and hosted thousands of book readings and signed millions of books. These words are only a part of what I dream of. The irony of trying to build financial security is all the financial hurdles and challenges you meet along the way. My dream job is to be self-employed. But while I’m on my journey to that, I am still someone else’s employee, and being someone else’s employee is taking away time and talent from being self-employed. I’m currently doing research on how to clone myself and do it all. I am so grateful to Prudential for this #WomenInspired campaign. Being a woman is just about the hardest job a person can undertake, and if there’s one thing we will never tire of, it’s inspiration and encouragement. Seeing fellow women dreaming it and doing it, gives me the needed push to keep going. I’m almost there, I keep telling myself. And when doubt sets in – and it does pretty often – I will get another shot of encouragement. Like the kind of encouragement I got from Patricia and Dipti. Patricia’s mom, just like mine, taught her how to save money. And Dipti, just like me, is always Dipti first, before being wife and mom. I like these women. Check out their very short videos below:   

What are your aspirations and inspirations? Share your vision by joining the growing community of women inspired in the comments below, or on Twitter using the hashtag #womeninspired.

With your long-term goals in mind, do you have any financial challenges that you want to tackle?