February 9, 2021-Dreams die when we fail to pursue them. Everyone has dreams, but not everyone follows them. When I was a kid, I used to dream about being the person who goes out on to the ice to stitch up injured hockey players; guess what came of that? Nothing. Because I failed to take the necessary steps to make that dream a reality. If I really wanted to make it happen, I would have chosen the correct classes in school, went to a different college/university, studied kinesiology, interned in a medical setting after graduation, and applied to jobs that would further my career in that specific field. There are steps, very specific steps, to realizing our dreams.
The same thing happens to us as adults; it’s fun to dream about all of the things we want. Wouldn’t it be nice to win the lottery? And wouldn’t it be so cool to be interviewed on tv, or to be someone famous? Wouldn’t it be so awesome to travel the world and teach writing on a global level? Wouldn’t it be amazing to be a TedTalk speaker?
We can dream all we want, but if we don’t make a plan and put it into action, we’ll never accomplish what we dream of. Today’s exercise:
- Write down your dreams for your writing career. What do you want to accomplish as an author? Think bigger. Do you just want to see your name in print? Do you want your writing to be featured in a magazine, newspaper, or blog? Do you want to write for famous publications such as the New York Times or Vogue? Do you want to have a freelance career that allows you to write from anywhere in the world and make your own schedule? Write it down.
- Be more specific. Don’t generalize. If one of your dreams is to become a best selling author, narrow it down. Which genre? Which Best Seller list? What is the timeline you’ll give yourself to get there? Do you want to be a number 1 best selling author, or will simply making the top 10 be enough? etc.
- Devote time each day to take action. A dream is a dream until you write it down and take action. You can never make your dreams come true if all you do is dream about what could be. Don’t have the wouldn’t it be nice syndrome and let your dreams sit on the shelf without doing anything to pursue them. Make them happen with hard work, a clear plan, consistency, perseverance, and focus.
Don’t let your dreams die! It’s time to get to work and make them a reality. You’ll be so glad you did.