Your Old Dreams No Longer Fit Who You're Becoming | Ep. 78

It's natural for our dreams to evolve as we grow, and holding onto visions that no longer serve us can lead to burnout and resentment. Giving ourselves permission to pivot and embrace new dreams isn't failure, it's a necessary part of authentic personal growth.

• Wellness Tip for National Minority Health Month: Know your blood pressure—hypertension is a silent killer in our community
• Creating an authentic dream life requires looking inward rather than comparing to others
• A true dream life centers on how it feels
• Our brains naturally resist change even when old dreams no longer fit
• Recognize warning signs: burnout, frustration, and resentment indicate expired dreams
• Pivoting from the podcast's original vision allowed space for authentic new creative desires
• Professional evolution can mean embracing new passions
• Relationships also require letting go of outdated scripts that damage self-worth
• Growth often comes with uncomfortable transitions but leads to greater alignment

If this episode resonated with you, please tell a friend to tell a friend and rate or review the show wherever you're listening.

Episode Resources:

• Living Your Dream Life: Practical Steps for Fulfillment | Ep. 22
• Overcoming Adversity & Redefining Success: The Power of Reinvention ft. Chanera Pierce | Ep. 53
• Your Body Knows When It's Time for a Fresh Start | Ep. 76

Are you a creative, solopreneur or entrepreneur who’d like to be featured on The Prolific Hub Podcast? Let us know here!

Snag a discount on Aliya’s favorite brands using these Referral Codes

Theme Music:
She No Dull Beat by Nana Kwabena
Festivities in Belize by RAGE Productions

Chapters

• 0:00 Episode Introduction and Health Tip
• 3:43 Defining Your Authentic Dream Life
• 6:06 Recognizing When Dreams Expire
• 8:14 Personal Pivots in Podcasting Journey
• 9:57 Professional Evolution in Consulting Work
• 10:51 Permission to Pivot in Relationships

Transcript

Aliya Cheyanne: 1:21

Testing testing one, two, three. Testing testing one, two, three. Testing testing one, two, three. Testing testing one, two, three. Hi friend, Welcome back to the show. I'm so glad that you're here. Thank you for tuning in and, if you haven't already, be sure to rate and review the show and share this podcast with a friend.

Aliya Cheyanne: 1:42

Now, April is National Minority Health Month, so before we jump into today's topic, I want to share a quick wellness tip that aligns with the episode. Know your blood pressure. Just like old dreams no longer serve you, neglecting health can be dangerous. High blood pressure is often unnoticed until it's too late. Hypertension is a silent killer in our community. Monitor your blood pressure regularly and reduce salt intake. Monitor your blood pressure regularly and reduce sodium intake.

Aliya Cheyanne: 2:16

Now let's jump into today's topic why it's okay to outgrow your old dreams. What's funny is, around the time that I'd kicked off the rebrand of this podcast, we'd done an episode about living your dream life, and although the audio quality in that episode was not great, the message still persists. The message was still important. I think for many of us we've imagined what our dream life might look like if we're not already living in it, and I think imagining your dream life certainly has to come from within. It's easy to create an image of a dream life in our heads based on what we might see online or what we might see another person have, but it's so important to turn inward and really think about what a dream life looks and feels like to you and, more than anything else feels like. When I think about my dream life, I think about ease. I think about spaciousness and relaxness in my days. I think about pouring into creative projects or work that lights me up. I think about spending quality time with my family, with my dog, Storm, and someday, with the love of my life. I think where we get caught up is struggling to let go of dreams that no longer fit. Sometimes what we've thought about or what we've imagined for ourselves evolves or changes or no longer fits the bill. Sometimes efforts or work or creativity or ventures that we set out to do no longer fit the season of our lives and it's natural to fear letting go. Our brains don't really like change. Our brains like what we're, Our brains like what we and they are used to. But it's important to recognize when a dream has expired and to give yourself permission to pivot.

Aliya Cheyanne: 5:03

When I first set out to do this show. I had a vision for it. I had hopes and goals about how much it could grow and how it could change the lives of myself and my co-hosts. At the time, and although there were many indicators along the way that let me know that dream would likely not become a reality, I didn't want to let go of it. I thought it might still be possible. But I had to recognize what was going on within me during that time when I was fighting against letting go. I was feeling worn down and burned out by the project. I was feeling frustration and resentment for feeling like effort across the board wasn't equally matched. I was annoyed that I was the only one who was excited about the vision and the goal. I was annoyed that it felt like I was the only one who saw the vision and the only one who was ultimately excited about the goal. And when I gave myself permission to pivot, and when I gave myself permission to pivot, and when I gave myself permission to pivot, to stop being hung up on what was and what changed, when I allowed myself to pour into my authentic creative desires, I gave way to birth a new vision. I gave way to birth a new dream. It became okay to put the old dream down because it no longer fit and it had expired.

Aliya Cheyanne: 6:38

I think that can be true in a lot of things. This has even come up in my consulting work as well. I recently made the change from solely focusing on communication strategy. This has come up a lot in my communications work recently. This has come up a lot in my communications work recently. This has come up a lot in my consulting work recently. It's become very clear and very evident to me that what I'm most passionate about is building systems, creating structure, project managing various efforts and, less so, communications, which is an area I've worked in for a very long time.

Aliya Cheyanne: 7:15

I've had to allow myself the space to outgrow the old dream for this work and embrace a new one. And sure, it hasn't all been smooth sailing. In fact it's been a little bumpy. But I'm trusting the process and I'm trusting that, although I'm going through the growing pains of change, that what I stand to gain on the dream that you may have outgrown what's changed for you, what new vision are you embracing and what are you finally ready to let go of and put down? I've even had to outgrow old dreams about previous relationships and partners. For a long time, I might have been stuck on a certain script, unable to deviate from the page, but doing me was causing but doing so was causing more stress and more anxiety and more damage to my self-worth than I was willing to let it. So even those dreams have evolved and I've granted myself permission to pivot.

Aliya Cheyanne: 8:31

Whether it's your creative life, your love life, or your professional life, your spiritual life and so much more, it's important to recognize when a dream no longer fits and when a dream has expired, and to embrace a new vision and a new reality for yourself, whatever it might be. I encourage you to reflect on a dream you may have outgrown. What was it, why did you outgrow it and what are you embracing now? Be sure to let me know in a review or in a text to the show, and check out this week's wellness tip and let me know how it impacts you.

Aliya Cheyanne: 9:10

All right, friend. Thanks for tuning in to another short but sweet episode. If this episode resonated with you, please be sure to tell a friend, to tell a friend and to rate or review the show wherever you're listening to it right now. Thank you for lending me your time, your energy and your ears. I appreciate you for lending me your time, your energy and your ears. I appreciate you for being here. Have a great rest of your day or night and I'll catch you on the next episode. Bye.