I very seldom watch American Idol, but I did catch an episode last season featuring nine-year-old singer Celine Tam. She was fabulous (please look her up on YouTube), but what really impressed me was her answer to the following question, “What is your big dream for when you grow up?” 

She instantly replied, “This is my dream.” How exciting for this young girl to have such a burning passion!

I’ve been pondering dreams and what it takes to achieve them for the past few weeks. My baby boy just turned 21, and I think it has catapulted me into a mid-life crisis! Actually, I’m not thinking so much about my own dreams, but about the dreams of my early-adult children. I’m torn between encouraging dreaming and waking them up to the reality that, although dreams are the magic in life, you have to be prepared for hard work, roadblocks, and disappointments.

It’s so easy for them to see only the positive sides of dreams — the fame, fortune, attention, and recognition. While there is nothing wrong with fantasizing, dreams will always remain a fantasy until you start taking action. That is where things become interesting. They look at a successful people and do not understand the incredibly tough journey they survived to get where they are. They look at a recording artist and don’t see the huge portion of their lives spent practicing, not to mention the obstacles to success they have had to overcome.

This is the advice I want to give my precious millennials:

If you’ve set your sights on success, be prepared for frustrations. These are impossible to avoid. And the bigger your dream, the more frustrations you can expect to encounter.

Contrary to what you currently believe, your time on this planet is limited. Please try to work in harmony with time by choosing a dream that fits your age, personality, and talents.

If you are lucky enough to believe you have a dream, please ask yourself, “Am I willing to suffer for this? Am I willing to commit my time and energy? Am I willing to give up leisure time? Luxury goods?”

Finally, and I believe these questions are the basis of determining the worth of a dream, I would have them ask: Do I love it? Am I good at it? Does the world need it?

Christina Pierce is publisher of The Daily Iberian