These two points are exactly what makes writing for a living such a risky - and rewarding -- proposition.
Writing may not be YOUR dream job, but something is. This column is for those secretly hiding their dream under a bushel basket instead of proudly shining it from a hilltop. This column carries one message:
YOU CAN ACHIEVE YOUR DREAM.
It's a fact. And it's worth repeating.
YOU. CAN. ACHIEVE. YOUR. DREAM.
Why am I so sure?
Experience.
Experience is the bridge that lays between thinking you can and knowing you can. The catch is that experience is invisible - until you throw yourself into it - whereupon it becomes VERY visible. Sometimes painfully visible.
The pain of experience will test the level of your commitment to your dream. Commitment is your shield. The greater your commitment, the less adversity will injure you. But let your commitment wane and the adversity you're sure to encounter will kill your dream. You'll quit - and spend the rest of your days wrongly believing you weren't enough to fulfill your dream.
Fifteen years ago, I remember telling a roomful of employees I was leaving the megabucks of a corporate management job to become a writer.
To their credit, they didn't laugh. At least not out loud. I never felt more naked. This nakedness is what you'll feel when you first step from the security of what is into what can be.
Chasing dreams is lonely business. When you try to tell others of your dream, you're talking gibberish. While you mentally see what you can become, they can only see what you have BEEN. The huge gap is impossible to explain. At best, those you tell will give you a confused look and wish you well. At worst, they'll call you an idiot, and clearly explain why YOU (they're really talking about themselves) can't achieve your vision. When it comes to your dream you're on your own -- unless you find someone with similar aspirations.
A year after leaving the corporate world, my wife and I committed to starting a newspaper and had no idea of where it would lead. But since we didn't eat if it didn't work, I'd have to say our level of commitment was pretty high.
Because of that commitment problems never stopped us -- they just forced us to learn something new. Read a book. Buy a new piece of equipment. Sell an ad. Ask a pro how they got it done. Adversity really did become opportunity. Three years later, I'd learned so much about the writing and publishing industry, I was able to shed newspaper ownership and support the family working from home as a freelance writer. Other business launches followed and I've been self-employed ever since.
There's nothing special about us. Dreams are not meant to be accomplished by some and not by others. If you have been given a dream, rest assured that you have -- or can attain -- the abilities to achieve it. You just won't be able to see it from where you're currently standing.
So you make a commitment and begin. You really CAN make a commitment to achieving something and have no idea of how you'll do it at the time you commit.
I remember selling an ad for our newspaper to an important Realtor who wanted us to float his picture in the bay next to a home he was listing. We had no idea how to pull it off. So we called a printer, asked a few questions and not only learned how to make that ad work, but discovered a procedure that made other ads impressive as well.
Make a strong enough commitment now and you'll find out the "how-to" later.
That's the beauty of chasing dreams. You start climbing one mountain and others come into view as you progress. You not only achieve your original dream but you receive an avalanche of bonus opportunities as well.
But first you have to start. You have to let go of what is to chase after what can be. And that first step has the appearance of stepping into nothingness. Don't believe it. You're stepping into your new life.
YOU CAN ACHIEVE YOUR DREAM.
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Mike Johnson is an energetic writer & entrepreneur. Learn more about Mike's offerings at www.MikeJohnson.biz