I've never had this particular problem because I've never had the necessary focus for a dream to be "life-long"; I've got the opposite problem, a bazzillion "fo

I've never had this particular problem because I've never had the necessary focus for a dream to be "life-long"; I've got the opposite problem, a bazzillion "for-now" dreams. Unfortunately that lack of long-term focus can really slow your stride, but on the plus side, pivoting is easy (too easy) and you never look back. I've certainly been disappointed to find certain paths were unexpectedly difficult and "not worth it" for me, but I can't say I regret leaving them; usually part of what made the path difficult was the lure of another path. I also wonder if having dreams involving physical stamina make them harder to let go of. Ballet, for instance, is very physically demanding, and aging will cost you; you can't just take a 10 year break. Whereas if I dream of building a certain piece of software, it actually gets easier because the tools get better and age gives me experience. I've also always been weary of dreams that depend on something too beyond your control, such as winning a certain award. You can do your best, but you can't force others to do worse. (ETA: On a spiritual note, I don't think the achievement of any dream should be the foundation of the worth of one's life. That is, your existence in and of itself has more intrinsic value to the world than the achievement of any personal dream.)