So you have a dream, you have it defined, you have it planned out you are ready to take this thing on! It is common that many people will start to do research on how to achieve their goals. Go to any bookstore and you will find a large section of self-help books. The internet is even worse. Everyone it seems knows how to achieve your dream. All you have to do is follow these simple steps and poof just like magic your dreams will come true. It can be hard to remember at times that this is your dream, this is your journey.
Your dream is your own. No one can tell you how to achieve it. There is no gilded path up the mountain. No shortcuts or easy ways out. It is vital that you take ownership of your dream and not allow culture or others to shape it into something you never intended it to be. Perhaps it is because my dream is to publish my stories that I feel so strongly about this topic. The world is rife with stories of those whose dreams were taken from them and turned into something else. Never ever forget that these are your stories. These are your dreams.
The reason why this is separate from last weeks post is because this is something that goes beyond just deciding to go out and achieve something. Owning your dream is something that needs to be personal, a clear vision of what you want to achieve and why. Going for your dreams is big stuff! So take pride in what you want to achieve! With all of the distractions out there This is because it will be up to you to see this through to the finish line. Whether you are collaborating with others or toiling away in your basement it is up to you to finish it. If your staff decide that you don’t pay them enough, then you need to hire others (or you know, pay them what they are worth). If you want to write a book you better sit down and start writing because it’s not going to write itself!
That being said your ownership of something does not mean that others are not allowed to have opinions about it or offer suggestions to improve it. In fact we will spend a few weeks later this year talking about just that! However it will still be up to you to do something with that feedback. You will need to carry your dream forward. Each step, each success, each failure, will be your burden. In the dark times when it seems like everything is going wrong you will need to understand why it is you are pursuing this crazy thing.
This year you set your goals and decided to chase your dreams, so go out there and do just that! Own your work, set your vision for the future and chase after it with all that you have. You can achieve your dreams! It just takes patience, time, a bit of luck, and an unwavering commitment to see your dream through to the very end.