Sunday morning I opened my kitchen cabinet door to reach for one of my many favorite coffee mugs. Nothing unusual about the morning. Starting my day with java as usual. But for some reason my Wall Street Journal mug caught my attention. I’ve had this mug for over 20 years. It was given to me by one of my favorite customers when I was a Customer Service Agent working at FedEx in Cupertino, CA. The Wall Street Journal had a branch in the Bay Area, and this customer worked for them. What I remembered most was how kind and fatherly this customer was towards me. Although I liked my job at FedEx, I was week’s away from graduating college and needed to make a decision about what I wanted to do for a career. So naturally I talked to him about it and shared my desire to work for the Wall Street Journal. He gave me a tour of their facility, explained the good, bad, and ugly regarding working there, but ultimately discouraged me from leaving a great company like FedEx. He believed I would enjoy and have greater opportunity where I was currently working. I followed his advise, and yes, I had a great 20 year career at FedEx. But what was it that day I was trying to express? Why did I want to work at the Wall Street Journal? I only know now that deep down inside, I’ve always had a desire to write. This was only one of many experiences signaling my true desire to write, but I always disregarded or doubted these feelings and beliefs.
So my question to you is....are you really following your dreams? Ask yourself some of these question:
What do you enjoy doing most in life?: I’ll never forget reading a comment Toni Morrison, Nobel Prize winner for Literature, said about her work. To her writing is as essential to her as breathing is. What are you most passionate about? What could you not live without? For me, writing is just one thing, but I also love to travel, and love to learn. I would die if I could not continue these experiences.
Are you “wishing” or “believing”?: The difference is subtle but powerful. One is static, the other is in motion. If you truly believe in something you set out to get it accomplished (and hopefully you’re utilizing a process called SMART I’ve mentioned several times in my blogs). The other is lazy and awaits for others or things to come to fruition in the hope of your desired outcome. An example, “I wish I had a million dollars” is less likely to happen than if you state and believe “I will earn a million dollars.”
What actions are you putting in place to help you reach your dreams?: Again I go back to the SMART process to help you achieve the desired outcome you want. Are you specific about what you want; is what you want measurable; is it achievable; is it realistic; and what is your time frame?
How is your support system?: Besides having a well thought out process, your environment is critical too. What is your support system like? Are family members and friends supportive or are they dismissive and negative. If you find yourself discouraged (as I did many years ago when a friend laughed at my idea of creating my own magazine) I beg of you to get the book “The Dream Giver”, by Bruce Wilkinson. He creatively illustrates in his book how a character named “Ordinary” from the “Land of Familiar” reaches his dreams and becomes a “Somebody.” Surprisingly, “Ordinary’s” biggest objectors were his parents and friends, the ones who should love us unconditionally and be supportive!
If I had my life to live over, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall. ~Nadine Stair
So, if you had it to do all over again, what would you do differently? More importantly, is it really too late? :)
