#4 "If You Feel Your Dreams are Dying, Hold Tight"

Do you feel that some of your dreams and goals that you had in your life are slowly dying in your life?You are not alone, but you are not going to get to your destination without moving.

In the literal sense we wouldn't be able to get to the store, to work or back to our homes without physically moving. In the metaphorical sense, which is the idea that you can't reach your goals or achieve your dreams by just sitting there and waiting for the results to fall into your lap.

Hopes, dreams and goals are easily thought up, but they are somewhat difficult to achieve in the long run.

I have struggled with this since I got out of college and did a year of volunteerism/service. After that my dream was to continue to make a difference in the world in some capacity.

I never defined how exactly I wanted to do that, which really put me at a standstill. I wandered around aimlessly. I hastily made decisions about my idealistic future that would never pan out in the long run. Truth is I made excuses for why I couldn't achieve my dream and why it would never work out. I got home and expected that I would be able to walk right into a non-profit profession that would pay me well and allow me to make a difference in the world.

The job market was awful when I got home, especially in my field. Fortunately I was able to get a part-time job at a non-profit that could have easily turned out to be a full-time position if I was patient enough... instead I left the job because I needed more money. I would go back right now and kick myself in the ass for doing that if I could. I had my dream job right there. I could have worked harder in my retail job to make up for the hours and money that I was missing out on. So who's fault was that? It was MINE because I didn't like being inconvenienced with two jobs. I still battle with regret years later...thinking that my dream was unattainable because of the mistakes I made in the past.


Up until recently I still felt a sense of entitlement. I wanted to reach my goals without doing any of the work. You can't do that. You will end up disappointed and empty handed if you think that things will just fall into your lap.

Finding out that the world doesn't owe me anything has helped give me a nudge in the right direction... I always felt like I wasn't going anywhere in my career. This made me job hop for a long time. I was always looking for better money, a better title and a better sense of self worth. I let this get in the way of my dreams.

So what do we do when we are stuck?:

I think that defining what you want to accomplish is the key. Don't be vague. I have said constantly that I want to make a change out in the world, but I never figured out how exactly I wanted to do that. I feel that writing it down gives you a clearer picture and helps you break things down. I have had different ideas through-out the years, but something else would distract me and I would forget.

Expect obstacles and make a list on how you will deal with them. You can't get from start to finish without climbing a few walls.

Don't set your goals too low because it's easy, set them high because you will you get better results. Challenge yourself, know that you are capable, and work hard. Just because it gets hard doesn't mean you have to give up.

Thankfully I have more dreams besides the professional ones. Fortunately my achievements in other my other goals help balance out my professional ones. Think about everything you have done in your life and you will find satisfaction in that.

Everything can't happen at once. Sometimes it is unpleasant, but life spreads the good things out. So Keep your dreams alive.