“Using an alarm clock makes us a prisoner to someone else’s dreams,” Loren Ridinger.  This may be an over generalization to a degree but the sentiment caught my ear.  How much time do we spend building a routine based on someone else’s needs?  Even if we make a choice for a reason and we have a plan knowing what we are doing is temporary, we still adhere to what someone else tells us.  Most jobs today don’t offer the flexibility of working whatever hours we need to.  We work during their operating hours and sometimes beyond that.  Our time is dictated by what someone else tells us.  There are instances the needs may align and we can satisfy our needs and someone else’s at the same time, but more often than not, we book our calendars based on what someone tells us to. 

Until we are able to define our dreams, we will always fulfill someone else’s.  Sure, we have a need for specific functions as a society, but we also have a need for the creative freedom to thrive in a way that satisfies our needs as well.  We don’t all share the same dream so why do we force ourselves to work on someone else’s goal more fervently than our own?  We can set the alarm based on what works for us.  We choose when we take action on what is important to us and if we are abiding by what others tell us to do, then we aren’t working on ourselves.  I want to be clear that no one’s dream is a burden and it isn’t always a prison to work for/with someone else—but it becomes that way when we are working toward something we don’t care about.  We free ourselves when we take ownership of our path.  We can set the alarm any which way we want, we know the markers and milestones we need to meet and it’s up to us how and when we get there.  Just don’t let so much time pass that we miss the opportunity entirely.  Be aware of what markers we set and make sure they are of our own devising. Only we know our true rhythm.