Pop! There goes my bubble.

Pop! There goes my bubble.

There are some people in life who are just “walking dark clouds”.  They will rain on your parade, whatever the time, wherever the place.  I’ve often wondered if such people never tire of being critical and completely pessimistic.  Most of these people cover their “wet-blanketness” (don’t think that’s a word) with a cloak of realism and justify their ability to let you doubt yourself and ideas by claiming to be supportive. 

For you, whose bubble has just been burst, it is usually a draining experience.  Imagine basking in the glow of a new and wonderful idea, one that has the capacity to catapult you into the limelight, suddenly the people who thought little of you will come to know how wrong they were, applause, applause, here comes the successful so and so.  You are dying to share this new possibility with someone who knows and understands you and then…wham!  Your hopes and dreams are dashed and crushed even before they ever germinated.  It feels like a bucket of extremely cold water has just been poured on you. 

I have often wondered what time and with whom do you share your dreams.  Who do you trust to make inputs and whether you really need a reality check?  In my musings, I’ve come up with these observations that could help you hold on to your dreams and still be practical:

1.  Plant the seeds:  It is important for you to hold on to (or bury) your ideas and dreams at the initial stages.  Remember how the first trimester in a pregnancy is supposed to be that critical stage.  It is so for a reason.  For those first few months the seed is not fully grounded and can therefore be miscarried very easily.  Any external influence could destabilize the environment for the growing baby.  So is your idea or dream in the initial stage.  It’s fragile.  Holding on to your ideas at the initial stage would help you get used to the idea, think it through, let it implant itself and settle.  It also minimizes any outside influences that can distort the dream.  
2. Nurse your seeds:  Find out more about the idea on your own at the beginning.  Remember that you need to take your folic acids and all during the first trimester.  This is so you have a conducive enough environment to stabilize the seed.  You may want to use this period to find out how other ideas similar to yours have panned out, how people have nursed their ideas and gone about implementing them.  At this stage, you may bring in someone you trust most to bounce off your idea.  Remember how you only want to share the news of the pregnancy with your hubby and wait to tell others after the first few months…it's the same here.  You need to bring the people who have a stake in the idea and can help you nurse it. 
3. Keep the weeds off: In this case its more like keeping the prickly plants and spikes away from the seedling, or they will burst the bubble.  Remember how Joseph’s brothers worked hard and fast to nib his dreams in the bud.  You need to identify those people who have the capacity the burst your bubble and keep them at arms length.  However, you might always not be able to do so especially when they are family, as was in the case of Joseph.  In cases like that, just keep the dream to yourself.  Even as you start to put your dreams into action, you would need to keep away from the prickly plants, aka weeds.  Don’t open up to people who will discourage you and make you second-guess yourself. 
4. Nurture your plants:  Once your dreams are in action and are in plain sight, people will give you their opinions whether you like it or not.  As in the case of your plants, you’d at this stage need to water, fertilize and prune your plants to keep them growing.  Fertilize your dreams by seeking out people who can support it and encourage you to grow.  You may need to be part of a network of people doing similar things and get materials that will support its growth.  At this point, there are some “supporters” who will be ever ready to give you examples of people who have failed in the name of giving you a reality check.  Ask any pregnant woman the amount of ‘advice’ she receives once its obvious she’s pregnant.  But also remember people who have succeeded.  That is also a reality check.
5. Sit back and harvest:  After considerable efforts and inputs, you’d start reaping the benefits of your toils.  Remember however that the harvest period is not easy.  It requires its own inputs and management.  The cute little baby who is so adorable is also quite a lot of work.  And, for any farmer or mother worth her salt, the harvest is only the beginning.  Don't think you’re home because you made your first profit…you will need to reinvest and keep at it. 

Your total faith in your dream could make you overcome a lot of obstacles.  Remember that apart from having a crystal ball, you can only believe that you would succeed.  Be quick and dodge that spike…otherwise, oops…there goes your bubble.