Dream Without Limits

Imagine possibilities beyond the limitations of society and circumstances.

By Phyllis Bowman

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Now is the time to start pursuing what is important to you. Your dreams can become reality if you allow them to. The truth is no one can take away your thoughts, ideas, or desires. They may have an opinion about them, or they may make comments about them, but that is all they are, just opinions. The only thing stopping you, is you. In many cases, the biggest limitation is not our ability, it is what we have been taught to believe is possible.

It is true that our circumstances may shape where we begin, but they do not have to determine where we go. What if some of the greatest inventors stopped every time someone had an opinion about what they were doing? The Wright brothers would not have perfected the invention of the airplane; Thomas Edison would not have invented the light bulb. Then there’s madam C.J. Walker, with many challenges and odds against her, she was the first self-made black woman millionaire in the United States with the invention of a successful line of hair care products and later the pressing comb.

All these inventors started out with an idea and their focus was set on the possibilities despite what society had to say about it. Before you pursue a dream, you must believe that you are allowed to have one. Dreaming without limits means that you are giving yourself permission to try something new, and that you have decided you are going beyond the expectations that someone else has for you.

Dreaming does not mean that the outcome you desire will happen overnight. No, but with careful planning, and your willingness to continue to imagine, pursue, adapt, make changes as needed and keep moving forward will eventually yield you the desired results over time. Your dreams matter, so stop comparing yourself to someone else and work on getting rid of those limiting beliefs. I had to start thinking like this, there is somebody who needs my ideas, or there is someone I can help with making my dream a reality that will push me closer to my breakthrough.

I have said many times that I would like to write again, but I did not pursue it because I felt like nobody cared about what I had to say. Then with a little push, I started writing again and I realized that somebody needs to hear what I have to say. I also had a conversation with my former journalism teacher, and I shared with her how I felt and I told her, I do not know what to write about. Her response was the same as it was when I was in her class, “Just Write.”

Black women and girls need to see women who look like them pursuing their dreams, careers, businesses, leadership, education, creativity, and civic engagement. So here I am pursuing one of my dreams with writing in hopes that it will encourage especially the younger generation of black women and girls to go after what they think is not possible, because it is very possible. A dream becomes a possibility when we are willing to take the first step. So, dream big!

The CABWCEI believes in collective empowerment and in creating environments where Black women and girls can see their possibilities, develop their potential, and support one another along the way. Their mission is to build communities where women and girls do not compete with each other's dreams, but they help each other reach them.