“There are five important things for living a successful and fulfilling life: never stop dreaming, never stop believing, never give up, never stop trying, and never stop learning.” ― Roy Bennett, The Light in the Heart

My girlfriend and I were talking about our frustrations in life. She is a BS Biology graduate and at one point in her life, she took up Masters in Microbiology. However, the demands of being a working student and a breadwinner made her decide to stop her MS. She only finished one semester and moved on in life. Now, she works in a field not totally related to her undergraduate studies. 

I, on one hand, always dreamt of being an engineer. However, due to financial constraints and limited opportunities available, I took up and finished a non-board accounting-related course. I learned to love what I was led to, so when I had the chance, I took up BS Accountancy so I can take a chance at board exams and be a CPA. But things went an unexpected turn again when an opportunity to work full-time in our church and to study in Bible school was offered to me. I may have given up my CPA dream now, and I have no regrets about my decision, but sometimes I wonder what my life could have been if there were no twists and turns with my route?

Though we trudge through a different path, I can say we had a choice not to. We are capable of choosing where we want to be, albeit in the presence of challenges and limitations. We can be Microbiologists and Certified Public Accountants if we choose to. It doesn't matter how long it will take us, or how hard we will persist, but the bottom line is we can - only if we want to and we choose to. But why did we stop trying? Why do some people choose to take a different path?

They realized their former dreams are just motivations, not destinations

Perhaps some people choose a different path because they realized that the dreams they had before are just that - dreams. Some dreams are just meant to give us a push, to inspire us, but along the way, they saw that it is not a destination, but a mere motivation. 

They have learned to be content with what life gives them

Some people may have stopped pursuing their dreams because they learned not to grapple with the challenge, but to embrace the reality that maybe, they are not meant for that. Being content is a brave act. It means you are settling with what's given to you without being bitter with what could have been. 

They have found another passion to inspire them

Another reason why people choose to stop pursuing their original dreams is that they have been led to something equally, or way better than what they have first dreamt of. Their new course ignited their passion and gave them a brand new purpose. Just like what happened to me as I accepted my full-time ministry work. It helped me become who I am now. 

Final thoughts

Sometimes we think people who 'abandon ship' in terms of their dreams are quitters, but when we try to look at it, there are many reasons why they choose to shift gears. Whatever their reasons are, it doesn't mean they are less of a person. People change paths not because they want to, but because their situation calls them to. 

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Hi, I am Marts! Aside from read.cash, I also run my blog - martsvalenzuela.com. I plan on growing my readership while learning to improve my craft and journey towards my passion to write and publish books that add value to people.

Carpe Diem!