Dream Big

Dream Big

To a society that limits creativity and obsesses about money:

Everyone has been asked at some point

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

And when we were younger,

A typical response to this question would be:

“A RACECAR DRIVER!”

And then everyone in the room would laugh,

Because being a racecar driver is totally a safe career decision.

Now that we are older,

A typical response to this question would be:

“A Neurobiological Oncologist Researcher”

And everyone in the room would act impressed,

Because being any type of doctor is an impressive career.

What if we kept on dreaming about our futures like kids?

I know that everyone can’t be the next Brad Pitt,

But we should not discourage anyone from careers in the arts.

If we had done that in the past, 

None of the following people would be included in this poem.

Imagine a young boy from California:

He grew up poor but always had big dreams.

He dreamed of being a race car driver.

Eventually after hard work and a few signed contracts,

He became possibly the most successful race car driver of all time.

His name is Jimmie Johnson, and he dreamt big.

Imagine a young girl from a poverty stricken town in Mississippi:

Born to a teenage mother and raped at a young age herself.

She dreamed of becoming successful,

And worked hard to achieve her goal.

She became one of the most successful woman in media ever.

Her name is Oprah Winfrey, and she dreamt big,

Imagine a young girl from the bitter cold of Canada:

 She grew up poor and impoverished,

Fending for herself and her three siblings after her parents died.

She dreamed of becoming a singer,

And never gave up on this goal.

She became one of the most successful singers of the 1990s.

Her name is Shania Twain, and she dreamt big.

I know that most people do not grow up in conditions like these,

But I also know that most people have their dreams,

Their dreams of being a racecar driver, a media star, or a singer,

Shattered at a young age, faced with the idea that art is not stable.

What if all parents let their children branch out into the career of their dreams?

Perhaps we could find the next big racecar driver, media star, or singer.

All of these careers are within reach,

If we just need to let children follow their big dreams.

Sincerely, Someone with Big Dreams