The Role of Past Dreams in Finding Purpose

What if the dreams of your youth could become the regrets of your maturity? Inspired by the 1985 movie Legend, this episode unearths the universal journey from childhood whimsy to adult reality. I share a personal story from my own past, reflecting on a worn-out journal that once captured my grand ambitions of becoming a cop, fueled by the thrill of iconic 80s films like Lethal Weapon. Despite the twists and turns life throws our way, this reflection challenges us all to question how closely we still align with those early dreams and what they reveal about our true selves.

Join the conversation as we explore the balance between youthful aspirations and adult responsibilities, and the role nostalgia plays in shaping our journey. Whether you're a go-getter keeping the office energy alive or trudging through the week, this episode offers a space to reflect and share your experiences. By revisiting our childhood dreams, we might discover that, despite life's challenges, we are closer to our true purpose than we realize. Let's uncover how these memories help us address regrets and appreciate the path we are on, as we navigate the complexities of maturing and making life decisions.

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Transcript

Speaker 1 0:09

the dreams of youth are the regrets of maturity.

Speaker 1 0:13

One quote that lives rent-free in my mind, at least that's how a friend would say it. Um, but you know, as a kid, obviously I had no clue about what was being said here. You know, all I remember was basically the devil brought the forest princess to dinner and he was basically trying to marry her in a sense is all I could recall as a kid. But this quote came from the movie back in 1985 called Legend. It's a great movie. If you haven't watched it, I highly recommend it. You know, the 80s was just full of, you know, movies that may seem crappy nowadays. They were truly great back then, but that is probably one of the best. But you know, in my reality, you know, and I'm sure the reality of many others, this is truly where regrets kind of begin. Basically, you know, when you kind of leave that childhood, you kind of leave that whimsy behind and you kind of move into the adult world or start viewing the world, your world perspective changes a little bit. And you know, as a child, you know these regrets are superficial, as I think we've already talked. But you know, as you grow, everything starts to change and it starts to have a different meaning. So welcome to Leo's Liberation. Thanks for jumping back on the train as we steamroll our way through the week of regrets. I'm regretting not getting enough sleep last night, maybe two hours total. I have no clue what was going on. I basically just laid there and eyes would not close. I think they would close for like five seconds, 15 seconds at a time maybe, but then they would open back up and you kind of just lay there and you continue to stare into nothing or stare at the tv or um, you know, you make the bad habit of picking up your phone and then you're stuck on that thing for who knows how long. However, whoever, two hours, but who cares? Right, I'm still here and you're here, and it's Wednesday and I know some, if not all, of us are ready for Friday. I know some of us are probably sitting there empty husk, just kind of going through emotions, while others are maintaining that go-getter energy. So, yeah, this means, if you're that go-getter person, you know, good for you keeping up the office energy, but you're probably also that one person that's literally two seconds away from you know, plucking your co-worker's last nerve and just kind of probably getting like this full amount of rage because they just can't understand how you're doing it at this point. But it's Wednesday. So if you're that go-getter and you're that happy energy in the office, keep it up. It's infectious, it'll catch on, trust me. Come on Thursday afternoon It'll start to catch on because you know it's Friday Eve at that point.

Childhood Dreams and Adult Realities

Speaker 1 2:28

So, the dreams of youth being, uh, the regrets of maturity, uh, you know, if you're listening to this and you are doing, uh, what you, you know what you exactly, what you wanted or what you've always wanted to do, you know, please share. I'm curious actually, um, cause I'd like to know what career, field, hobby or lifestyle you're holding up, and I hope that you're enjoying it. But you know, this is kind of one of those things that a lot of people feel that they actually don't get to do, you know, because basically the responsibilities of life take over. But, yes, you know, what we aspire to as children in some cases doesn't always come to fruition. The realities of the world kind of kick you in the junk and then your eyes open. For most of us, this happens in our teens, um, and you know, this is kind of when that whole choose your own adventure starts, actually in your teens, because now you're starting to be faced with Some actual like real life decisions and you know that veil gets lifted and you know, now you're a member of this horde of zombies. That's just like kind of crawling across the earth and just you know, kind of conforming and that's just what a lot of us do. But you know that's also just, I think, a part of you know being a part of a community and actually contributing to some extent. So you know, I'm going to share here for a second. And you know I was a pretentious little fucker, um, pardon my French, but uh, anyway, uh, I was pretentious back then, uh, but you know, still trying to grow, trying to find my place, and anyway, I kept a journal and I still have that journal to this day. It's, uh, one of those things I pulled out once in a blue moon and have a serious debate as to whether I should trash it or not. No, I, I will not ever part with this book.

Speaker 1 4:02

Most likely it's a ratty little black notebook. Uh, it actually. It actually looks kind of ashy. It's just, uh, it's been around so long. The pages are yellowed. Um, I wrote it in pencil, um, so you know I can still read it, cause I think I know what's there, but, uh, it's obviously starting to fade. I may need to actually take this and kind of maybe get it preserved somehow, but anyway. So it's a little ratty notebook but, you know, this thing kind of allowed me, or it still allows me, actually to look back at my youth and you know those aspirations that I did have. And the cool thing here, you know, to date I actually think I've accomplished everything that I've written down, that book, career wise, but the.

Speaker 1 4:41

But the biggest goal obviously in that book, uh, that I wrote, was basically being a cop. So, you know, back in the eighties, uh, early nineties you know I chose this because you know I used to watch a lot of those eighties cop movies. Uh, you know, lethal weapon, uh, probably being one of the big and more popular ones. But you, uh, you had a lot of other ones that were just kind of like B rated movies, really cheesy stuff, um, you know the crap that you see on spike TV at two o'clock in the morning, um, the spike TV even still a thing, um, I don't know, I'll probably have to look that up, but anyway. So, uh, now you can find them, usually on a streaming, uh, streaming channel, like to be TV or Pluto, and, uh, you know it's on a constant rotation. However, whoever, these are actually just movies I used to watch back then and I just thought it was always kind of cool. And, you know, that made me want to kind of be a cop, because I just kind of saw the cool stuff they were doing and diving through the windows and pulling out the guns, and nobody ever wore a uniform. That's. The one thing I actually didn't get right Was that you will have to wear a uniform, uniform, because in the movies they always wear jeans and basically that button up like that jean dad shirt or you know, I can't, I don't even know, I don't even know what it is, uh, but miami vice probably made cops look pretty cool though, um, however, so you know, I'm just always curious how much of me romanticizing this profession led me down this road.

Speaker 1 5:56

Why do people lose focus on what they want to be? We say children are mean because they're truthful. They lack impulse control sometimes and, honestly, they really don't give a damn about our feelings. I don't think they give a damn about each other's feelings in most cases, but that's what we see. But in honesty, I think that fanc uh, you know that fanciful little kid there, uh, that we used to be was actually trying to set us up for success, um, by kind of planting the seeds in your mind. And, uh, you know, we, as most people tend to do when you're trying to conform and just be a part of a group, you know, we kind of allow society to get in our head and tell us you know what you can and can't do. So I think, yeah, I think our younger selves had it figured out, but you know, we strayed away from that. So, yeah, and I will say I was pointing the finger at you you probably allowed society to pull you away from your childhood dreams. If you did not, and you stayed with them, good for you. But most of us, yeah, we let society do that. So, yeah, as I point a finger at you, you know obviously three more pointing back at me, so I'm reflecting as well. Trust me, I'm on this journey with you guys.

Speaker 1 7:01

But the cool thing still, you know, even though I fell into this trap, I feel like I'm still doing what I want and I'm going to try to justify this actually. So I'm doing what I think I've been called to do. Basically, you know what I feel is my purpose and you know the police officer career yes, it was a stepping stone in a sense, I think, to kind of set that foundation. Well, the kids set the foundation, but the police work actually pick up the rest. But the true purpose is that. You know, I think that was just basically as a kid. Maybe I just realized, you know, I'm here to help people, or I'm good at helping people, and today that's what I feel. I'm really good at helping people, or at least I feel like I am. If I've ever helped you, let me know if I did a good job or not.

Speaker 1 7:41

So yeah, if you feel as if you haven't lived up to your childhood goals or you've forgotten them or you store them away and you're just holding on to them so you can give that big regret speech on your deathbed, you know, take another look at those goals and keep in mind. You know that kid's view of the world was about as honest as a view as you're ever going to get, in this lifetime at least, and I'll imagine you're probably most likely doing what you dreamed about. It just looks a little bit different, you know, not as glamorous in a sense. So I will say we'll go for a hump day challenge, since we're talking to talking on Wednesday here. I want you guys to kind of travel down memory lane. I love nostalgia, right, I loved, you know, memories of the good old days. But you know, go down memory lane. If these memories aren't readily available to you, and think about those dreams and aspirations you had as a kid and compare them to where you are today. This may be your chance to easily address a regret and cross it off your list. So you know you're exactly where you need to be and you're doing exactly what you need to do. This is life's design. Maybe I don't know. Only, I think you can kind of figure this out by, you know, obviously, sitting down and just reflecting a little bit and maybe kind of talking to that little kid that you used to be, you know. So here we are. I'm Dre.

Speaker 1 8:54

Guys, I'm signing off from another episode of leo's liberation. Take care of yourself and each other. You can find me at leo's liberationbrustproutcom. Leo liberated on facebook, leo underscore liberate on x and leo's underscore liberation on instagram, and please follow me on whatever platform you're listening to this podcast on. Give me a like, rating or leave comments for me to grow on and I will talk to you guys on Friday. Have a safe, enjoyable rest of your week. It's hump day. You're almost there. Get the energy up. Talk to you later.