Today in the United States we remember the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and the change he spearheaded in our country. He was a man who believed that life could be better. Not just for a certain segment of society, but for all. While we are not perfect we have made strides.

Dr. King’s “I have a dream” speech is his most famous and my favorite. The reason for it being my favorite is that it is full of hope. All dreams should be hope based.

Okay, let me take a moment to clarify that when I say ‘dream’ I am not talking about dreaming for a Maserati or the perfect Coach bag.

There are people who have been taught not to dream. As someone who has dealt with this and is starting to overcome it, I find it horrifying how prevalent it is.

Here is why, in my mind, the words ‘dream’ and ‘hope’ are interchangeable. To live without dreams and hope is to just exist and that is very difficult. I have realized that having dreams is tied to living a life with joy in it. Here is my take on dreams. Having dreams means that you recognize that there is room for improvement in life. Dreams allow us to work towards a goal. If you have been taught that you do not deserve to dream please realize that is a control tactic. We all have the right to dream of a better life and to work towards it. If someone is telling you differently it is time to take a hard look at that relationship.

Here is what I think should be the main component of dreams – they should be for positive change. For some of us this can be difficult. I think that most people have periods in life when we lose our dreams. The trick to surviving this is to realize that is okay to lose them. Our dreams change just as our life does. Change is the one constant in life so it makes sense that it would apply to our dreams.

When you lose one dream reassess and see what you desire now. If dreams seem unattainable ask yourself why. Do you need assistance? Is it a dream which can reasonably be met in your life time? Or, are you going about reaching it in the right way? Asking questions and making adjustments to our dreams is part of life. You never have to give up on them, but maybe change your perception of them. The most important aspect of dreams is to have them.

So today I ask you to think about your dreams. If you don’t have any take the time to recognize what your inner most voice dreams of and acknowledge it. We all deserve to have dreams to strive for and achieving them. We all deserve “better” in our life.