I got to thinking about dreams. I have a lot of dreams. I want this and that and this and that. I want to make an impact in some way. I want to be tied to fame and make money. But most of all, I want to be a respected writer. I faced some rejection recently and am slowly picking myself back up. I am incredibly sad. But I know that rejection is part of any career, especially a career like writing. Of course, it doesn’t sting any less.

But this got me thinking about dreams being too big. Am I devoting myself to something that might never pan out? Of course it’s a risk. But is the effort I put in affecting everything else? Am I hurting those around me because of my intense fixation of being somebody, on being a writer? Is it too much? I am not thinking of quitting by any means. However, I do think that I need to take a step back and look at what I want. Is it money? Is it fame? Is it respect? And at what cost will I go to get these things? That is, if anything ever happens.

I keep thinking of Nick Foles. He never gave up. He almost did. And then he won a Super Bowl. He inspires me often. But maybe he was the exception, not the rule. Tons of us face rejection every single day. And some of us never get what we want. How do we know if we’re the exception? Will we ever know?

Are we simply dreaming too big?