"You're dreaming your life away."

"Stop dreaming."

Or - sarcastically - "Keep dreaming!"

We've all heard these admonitions, haven't we?

Have you ever noticed that even though many parents will chastise their children for having silly dreams, and even though people are ridiculed when they share their big dreams with others, at the same time we all LOVE stories about people who accomplish wonderful things?

Secretly, we even think - dare I say know - that we are capable of great things, too. We love the stories about the people who have the guts and persistence to go for their dreams and make things happen because they become like heroes to the rest of us. They are beacons of possibility.

The flip side is, such people and stories are vivid reminders that we have not gone for our own dreams. Perhaps this is why many people are also so quick to jump on the fascination bandwagon when someone in 'high places' falls and makes a mistake. Maybe it makes them feel better somehow, and not so badly about not pursuing their own dreams with passion.

But what if we ALL went for our dreams? What would this world look like?

Imagine a world full of excited, passionate people. Everyone would encourage each other and things would get done with unprecedented speed and creativity. Ideas tend to flow when people are open to them, so instead of being shut down and settling for boring and secure options, many people would take more calculated risks and the world would be a very different place. If everyone was encouraged to dream and to create, many of today's problems would be solved and inventions would soar to an all-time high.

So...with all of this possibility, why is being a dreamer a 'bad' thing? What is it that has us cling to secure jobs (which aren't really secure) and worry about taking chances? What are we afraid of?

It is likely our parents were trying to protect us from the pain of failure...but without failure, how can we ever really know how to succeed? How can we learn what we love, and what we are good at? Perhaps the people who laugh when we speak of our dreams are actually just shocked at our audacity, because they long ago gave up on their own dreams...or even worse: they have none.

We owe ourselves and our children the opportunity to fail at things...and thus the opportunity to learn how to wildly succeed. Remember this, and dream BIG - the world needs dreamers!

This article is written by Shauna Arthurs, author and creator of a network of sites and blogs dedicated to helping you achieve your grandest dreams! To skyrocket your personal and professional development, visit www.IncreasingVelocity.com and www.Live-With-Power.com!