Unfortunately, just before you take your first step on the
righteous journey to pursue your dreams, people around you, even the ones who
deeply care for you, will give you awful advice. It’s not because they have evil
intentions. It’s because they don’t
understand the big picture – what your dreams, passions, and life goals mean to
you. They don’t understand that, to you,
the reward is worth the risk.
So they try to protect you by shielding you from the
possibility of failure, which, in effect, also shields you from the possibility
of making your dreams a reality.
As our friend Steve Jobs says:
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone
else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma,
which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown
out your own inner voice, heart and intuition.
They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”
Here are 10 ill-advised tips (lies) people will likely tell
you when you decide to pursue your dreams, and why they are dreadfully
mistaken.
1. You can
follow your dreams someday, but right now you need to buckle down and be
responsible. – Someday? When is
‘someday?’ Someday is not a day at all. It’s a foggy generalization of a time that
will likely never come. Today is the
only day guaranteed to you. Today is the
only day you can begin to make a difference in your life. And pursuing your dreams is what life is all
about. So don’t be irresponsible. Don’t wait until ‘someday.’ Make today the first day of the rest of your
new life.
2. You’re
totally screwed if it doesn’t work out. – Wrong! This is a giant, lame load of BS. You’re not even close to being screwed. In fact, the worst case scenario is that
things don’t work out and you have to go back to doing exactly what you are
doing right now.
3. It’s
safer to stay at your day job. – Sure, I suppose. But you know what’s even safer than
that? Going home, locking yourself in
your bedroom, and never, ever coming out.
And just like that you will have flushed your entire life and your dreams
down the toilet. Remember, safer doesn’t
always mean better.
4. That’s
impossible! – It’s only impossible if you never do anything about it. The reason certain things seem impossible is
simply because nobody has achieved them yet.
But this doesn’t mean that with your help these things won’t become
possible in the future. If you truly
dedicate yourself to an end result, almost anything is possible. You just have to want it bad enough.
5. Only a
lucky few “make it.” – That’s because those lucky few got off their rear ends
and did something about it! They had the
drive, determination, and willpower that you have right now. You can be one of them. It’s up to you, and only you.
6. You might
fail. And failing is bad. – Failures are
simply stepping stones to success. No
matter how it turns out, it always ends up just the way it should be. Either you succeed or you learn
something. Win-Win. The biggest mistake you can make is doing
nothing because you’re too scared to make a mistake. If you can’t handle failure, then you can’t
handle success either.
7. You don’t
have access to the right resources. – It’s not about having the right
resources; it’s about exploiting the resources you do have access to. Stevie Wonder couldn’t see, so he exploited
his sense of hearing into a passion for music, and he now has 25 Grammy Awards
to prove it. Get it?
8. You need
more money saved before you can take the first step. – You don’t need more
money. You need a plan. You need a budget. Eliminate ALL the nonessential costs in your
life. If pursuing your dream requires
you to leave your day job, figure out the absolute minimum amount of income
that you require to realistically live.
Studying those who have succeeded with similar ventures also helps. But above all, take baby steps. Don’t be foolish and assume that you must
have a certain amount of money saved right now, or that you must quit your day
job today in order to pursue your dreams.
Instead, ask yourself, “What actions can I take right now with the money
and resources I have right now that will bring me closer to desired goal?”
9. You don’t
need any help. It’s smarter to go after
it alone. – You are the sum of the people you spend the most time with. If you hang with the wrong people, they will
negatively affect you. But if you hang
with the right people, you will be far more capable and powerful than you ever
could have been alone. Find your tribe
and work together to make a difference in all of your lives.
10. That
sounds like a lot of hard work. – You’re darn right it does! But that doesn’t mean it’s not worth it. I think success in life hinges on one key
point: Finding hard work you love doing.
As long as you remain true to yourself and follow your own interests,
values and dreams, you can find success through passion. Perhaps most importantly, you won’t wake up a
few years from now working in a career field you despise, wondering “How the
heck am I going to do this for the next 30 years?” So if you catch yourself working hard and
loving every minute of it, don’t stop.
You’re on to something big.
Because hard work ain’t hard when you concentrate on your passions and
dreams.
Disregard these misguided bits of nonsense and you’ll be
well on your way to fulfilling your dreams.
Now get out there and make a splash!
(COURTESY: http://www.marcandangel.com)
