Often, those dreams are not forthcoming. So what do you do when you have been working hard for many, many years and you know that your effort is not bringing forth the promised reward?
Again, our thrifty predecessors, those who lived through the American Depression have taught us well: waste not, want not; save for later; do your chores first. Yet, we have taken the cautions too far. Those who are part of the baby boom generation, though economically we have done well – we also have come to expect much.
The fact of the matter is that there is nothing over there. Life is a gift, but it happens only in the present, if you are not present, you miss the gift. That is why expectations are useless, they do not create reality. Life is reality and life has a rhythm that mere humans cannot and do not control.
The point is that we must stay focused and have our life now. That does not mean invite irresponsibility, spend now and to heck with tomorrow. I do not say this. What I say is that all around are rich possibilities to feel, touch, experience life. If you are instead, working and you tell yourself that you work this hard to have something richer later, I am warning you that you may not have a later and you will have worked for however many decades just so that you may die.
Please work hard if that is what you enjoy and how that you can love life, but if you work hard because you think you will gain something someday, please stop. It is time to have your life now, in the present.