Isn’t it about time you served yourself up a healthy helping of your own dreams? Are you waiting for “one day”? Last time I looked at a 12-month calendar I didn’t see “one day”. I saw today, this week, this month or this year but not “one day”. Is one day as ambiguous as “over yonder”? Let’s pull it into focus so you can make your dreams a reality. So much time is spent or should I say wasted on waiting for something that is never going to happen unless you take the bull by the horns and set the plan into motion. So today is “one day” where we will put action into practice. Are you ready? I choose to believe I just heard a collective…yessssssss!
Ahhh the preverbal “Pie in the Sky”. What does that term mean to you? Something that is pleasant to contemplate but is very unlikely to be realized. A pipe dream. Something you spend time dreaming about even fantasizing about as a happy yet fictitious mirage. What does that look like for you? Retirement? A getaway? A better life? A fun adventure? The perfect job? A more satisfying and rewarding life?
What is preventing you from seeing it through? Why are these only dreams and what makes them unattainable?
Inspiring stories are useful tools that can spur us to act but, it’s ultimately our capacity, grit, and our willingness to make sacrifices that will determine if we’re going to succeed. Too many people get stuck in a rut because they waste time thinking about what they want to do. Fewer actually do it.
I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit for as long as I can remember. I picked Easter flowers by the bunches and sold them in my neighborhood. I had a yard sale from the items in my room. Grit? Yes, dangerous? Yes again, I was 8 and home alone while my Mother was at work. I created numerous business ventures from giving tours on a tree that had fallen down during a storm to a home-made pretzel stand. It wasn’t something I grew out of, as an adult I had a handmade jewelry store, created custom shadowboxes, a handbag line, and I am the owner of 3 trademarks. I love to take an idea and bring it to life. Now, have they all been home runs? Well, I’m not sitting on a homemade pretzel fortune but each one of these ideas has taught me something. Through concept, development, execution, and yes, eventually failure.
Timing is so critical to everything we do and it’s not just timing of the market or the consumer, it’s timing within ourselves. We are on a journey, weaving in and out of challenges that shape and mold us. We come to the straightaway after a hairpin turn and we are different people.
I say this to say, just because you tried one thing or even 10 and nothing “worked out” doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try it or something else again. I still like to take ideas and sculpt them into reality. To me, there is nothing more rewarding than to create something out of nothing. Encouragementology – the practice of instilling hope was an idea to make the act of encouragement more intentional. When you can associate an action and a practice to something it has a real chance of becoming a habit. I want people to be aware of the opportunity they have to encourage others and then find the inspiration to take action. Now, this idea has legs and an identity. It isn’t running yet but it’s picking up speed and making an impact. I finally got the timing right.
Whether your dream involves creating a business, impacting the world, or just treating yourself to the things you desire, it all starts with you and your pursuit and efforts.
Where do you get your motivation? From a friend, family member, mentor, spouse?
I’ve been in sales and marketing what seems like my whole life and NO is a part of my daily grind. NO, not now. NO, I’m not interested. NO, I can’t afford it. NO, we already do that. NO. If I take this collective feedback and assume NObody believes in what I’m doing then the next day holds little promise or enjoyment.
What have you dropped when you first hit resistance? What did you say when someone told you no? When it’s personal it’s easy to have an emotional reaction to NO and internalize it as feedback. I’m not good enough, this idea is stupid, no one will support it, I should give up. Sometimes NO is a gentle push to go in a different direction, to sharpen our approach, to modify our idea. No doesn’t mean give up or give in.
I remember a line we used when I used to sell jewelry. I’ve sold everything by the way. Someone would come in and we had a process to help them narrow down their ideas to one or two items as to not overwhelm the buyer (ie guy in a jewelry store..you get the picture). If we heard NO – we would say, “is it the price of this particular item that’s too high or just more than you wanted to spend today”? It wasn’t emotional it was logistics. Do I need to establish value, shoot for something less, or open up a line of credit? I didn’t say it was scrupulous.
If we could apply that same logical thinking when our dreams are challenged think of the resilience we could build. No huh? What about this idea causes you to pause. Would it be better received if I did X or Y? The idea is not to give up on the dream just modify the approach.
With all this, it’s important to also be aware of your limitations. Now that doesn’t sound like something I would say or something you typically hear in a motivational speech but the fact is, you CAN’T do anything you want to do and it’s important to put things in perspective. I’m not talking about supporting your self-limiting believes I’m talking about taking into consideration timing, abilities, others involved and so on.
Here’s where your flexibility can be tested. Just because you can’t do IT doesn’t mean you can’t participate and master other things that contribute or are involved with IT. And having that type of flexibility will test your desire and perseverance.
In your dreams, you might find your passion and THAT is what you can pursue, nurture, master, and realize.
CHALLENGE: Spend as much time discovering your passions as you do fantasizing about your dreams. Make today, “one day” and take a step forward to realizing your goal. It’s the result of consciously doing something each day that will add to your overall excellence. Pursuing your passions are never beyond your reach.
I Know YOU Can Do It!