Langston Hughes Had it Right about Dreams
Posted on April 21, 2017 by Allison Bonilla, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.
"What happen to a dream deferred... is the way Langston Hughes starts his poem about the stalled aspirations of many. Life coaching revives dreams.
Have you ever wondered why some adults are so timid about pursuing their dreams? I think the following story explains it well.
The speaker looked into the faces of the elementary school students and asked with great enthusiasm “What do you want to be when you grow up”. Before he finished the sentence many hands shot up. The students were excited to share their belief that they will be Presidents, Astronauts, Horse trainers, Superheroes…and the list went on and on. The students spoke loudly and even met the laughter from others with good natured laughter themselves. Their confidence could not be quenched.
The speaker five years later met these same students in Middle school and enthusiastically asked them to answer the question “What do you want to be when you grow up?”. With a degree of self consciousness a few students put up their hands and shared “I will be a teacher, work for McDonalds, or work with my Dad, Mechanic… then silence. The speaker looked around and asked would anyone else care to share their dream about what they will do in the future? He was met with students looking down at their hands and whispering to each other.
That same speaker met with the same students five years later in High School and with a smile of encouragement asked them “What do you want to be when you grow up?”. He was met with silence, no hands raised. He decided to pick students out of the audience and ask them to stand and share their hopes for their future employment. The answers ranged from a distracted “I don’t know” to an “I think I will go to college and then decide after that.” One boy said he planned to study medicine and become a Doctor, however with head hung down and lowered voice he didn’t appear to be confident that this would be his end result.
The same students were seen at five year spans, what happened, what had changed? Where were those confident, brave, enthusiastic six year olds he had first encountered? Somewhere along the way seeds of doubt had been planted, weeds of self consciousness had grown, and shrubs of inadequacy stayed. This story is unfortunately played out too often and witnessed in the lack of confidence displayed by many adults as they approach their dreams. It may be a dream of a future spouse, financial stability in a career you are passionate about, or a personal health and wellness goal. Regardless of the goal, with coaching some adults can recover that bright, brave and brilliant child who believed in the best possibilities for their life and future.
Langston Hughes had it right when he pondered about deferred dreams.I want my clients to recover the ability to dream big, but to add a plan and action so that those dreams can come to life. Along the way there may be challenges, but there are also supports if you look for them. The value of those supports and encouragement cannot be underestimated.
If you have an unrealized dream that you want to explore and are ready to take a chance and bravely pursue, contact me at www.focusedlifecoaching.org and begin your coaching journey today.
