Please, Don’t Stop Dreaming
In 2002, a little girl sat in on a career day presentation on news anchoring. As she volunteered to read the teleprompter, she knew that…
In 2002, a little girl sat in on a career day presentation on news anchoring. As she volunteered to read the teleprompter, she knew that this was what she wanted to do for the rest of her life. Throughout high school, she went through storms with herself and thought of going into careers like optometry and historian, but always ended up with the same gut feelings. As her high school graduation approached, she made the decision to go with her gut and study what she loved, even if it wouldn’t make her rich. Her passion for communicating was so large that no amount of money could change her mind.
In college, that same girl found out that communications was more than just being on television. There were so many aspects to this growing subject that continued to pique her interest. As the four years went on, she developed skills in professional presentations, public relations, graphic design, news writing, video production, photography and [internet] radio. Her dad continuously asked her why she wanted to study broadcast media and she continuously told him, “The media is always growing. There will always be something for me to learn no matter how old the industry gets.”
As her college graduation neared, she still felt the strong urge to be present in broadcast media. She dreamed of walking on as a morning news anchor and living in a beautifully decorated one bedroom apartment in town and driving around in a black Nissan Altima. But soon, reality knocked her to the ground when no television or radio station wanted to hire her because of lack of experience (even though she possessed a bachelor’s degree).
Although there’s been many times I wanted to give up in the last year, I keep thinking of that career day in 2002. I have been blessed with an internship in public relations and although it was never my first choice as a career option, it’s quickly become a passion. It took some great people to see my gifts and take a chance on me. I don’t live a lavish lifestyle in my fancy apartment tower, but I do live in a newly renovated apartment and still drive the same car. As cliché as it sounds, my life is nowhere near where I thought it would be, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. My first year out of college has been an incredible learning experience.
Your dreams may change over time, things may not happen instantly, but with hard work and determination, everything will work out in time. If you find yourself letting go of one dream, know that you didn’t fail. Smile and know it is time to dream up another one. Chase your passion, practice what you’re good at and drop what you’re not so good at for others to pick up. Keep the faith and always be ready to do more and be more. And please, don’t stop dreaming.
