“It is surprisingly easy to lose touch with our true passions – sometimes because we get distracted with everyday living; sometimes simply because in the usual stream of small talk or transactable business, no one ever asks us about our dreams.”
- Blake Mycoskie, Start Something That Matters
I read that and thought – you know what? He’s completely right.
No one ever asks us about our dreams. Let’s fix that, right now.
Articulating your dreams can be scary. If you put a name and a face on your dream, you’ll experience all kinds of cognitive dissonance – that uncomfortable feeling of wanting one thing, but living another. Better to let our dreams stay floating in the ether than allow them to perch upon our minds and make us wish for which we don’t have. So we bury our head in the sand and try to ignore our dreams.
Once you articulate a dream, yes, your mind holds you accountable if you’re not living it. That can make you miserable. It can also give you powerful motivation to move forward.
Do me a favor. Copy the rest of this post, paste it in a Word document (don’t read it beforehand – just do it), and spend at least 8 minutes answering the questions. There are 1,440 minutes in your day today – you can spend eight of them giving voice to your dreams, can’t you? You can keep the other 1,432 minutes for whatever you want. Promise.
1. What are three things you’ve always wanted to do, no matter how big or small?
a.
b.
c.
2. Tomorrow someone gives you your dream house, dream car, dream vacations, good health, and enough income to live off of for the rest of your life. After playing around for a year and enjoying your newfound wealth – you start to get bored. Restless. You need something to DO. At that point, what would you want to spend the rest of your life doing?
3. Look at your answer to #2. Why can’t you do that now?
4. No really, why? (Hint: if money is the issue, let me tell you right now – money is rarely, if ever, the real issue.)
5. What are some things you spend time doing that don’t really contribute to your life? Meaning: It’s not an irrevocable responsibility, it’s not productive, but it’s not restful, fun, or restorative either?
6. What would happen if you took the time you’ve been spending on those things, and started spending that time working toward one of your dreams?
7. Pick one of the dreams. What would be the first step?
8. Will you start today?
9. If you answered “no” or gave an excuse in #8, when are you going to start? Write it down, circle the date on the calendar, “my dream to ___________ starts today.”
10. Did scheduling your dreams freak you out a little?
(If yes, then good. Fear doesn’t always mean ‘danger,’ fear often means you’re venturing into the unknown – which is necessary to make a change. Keep moving!)
Okay! I’d say “you’re done,” but you’re not done – this is just a baby step. It’s up to you to take the next one, whatever it may be. :-) Do it!
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