How Bad Do You Want It?

I was watching "The Voice" last night and a contestant came on that blew me away.  Not just with her singing ability (which was good), but with her dedication and committment to her dream. 

She shared that at the age of 22, she packed up everything she could in suitcases in the back of her car and set out on a self-directed music tour of the country.  She toured in 40 states!  She made her own advertisement posters, she booked her own shows, she called radio stations, she did it all.  And she's been living her dream that way for the past 4 years!   

And now she got the opportunity to be on "The Voice," to hopefully catapult her dream to the next level. 

Watching her story made me look at my own.  Would I walk away from my life as I know it to tour the country, living out of my car, to try to "make it" as a writer?  I realize musicians have different paths and different lives than writers, so it's not exactly the same.  But regardless, it made me look at my own committment to my dream.

How bad do I want it? 

How bad do I want to be a world-renowned author, with books on the New York Times Best Seller list? 

How bad do I want to live my life my way, by my rules, instead of "caving" to the pressures and assumptions of society and our culture? 

                                                 

It's easy to have a dream.  To say, "I'd like to open my own business," or "I'd like to make it in music, or writing, or acting," or "I'd like to renovate an entire house."  But are you really willing to do what it takes to achieve that dream?  To take it from a dream to a reality?  From an awesome idea in your head to your everyday existence?

                                                       

Is this giving you pause?  Because you're not alone. 

Dreams aren't easy to reach.  Especially the big ones.  Otherwise we'd all just do it already.

                                 

The quote above is very true.  Either we are living for our dreams, or we are living for someone else's dreams.  As Robert Kiyosaki, author of "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" (and others) encourages:  "Mind your business."  Because you're either minding your business or someone else's. 

Take me at the florist right now.  Sure, it's a good job.  I'm not arguing that point.  I'm grateful for it.  But it's not my dream to work at a florist, or even to run one.  That's the dream of the shop's owners.  It's their dream.  All of us working there are just helping them achieve their dream. 

Again, not that it's bad to help someone else achieve their dream, but what about your dream?  What do YOU want to do with your life? 

Christine Hassler's blog post on The Daily Love yesterday was incredible. 
(Check it out here: http://thedailylove.com/do-you-truly-value-yourself-then-stop-discounting-yourself/) 

A couple of her key points are these:
Fear blocks abundance. 
Having a dream is only part one.  Part two is taking action toward your dream and away from things that do not support or serve your dream. 

And I love her last line:
"Stop trying to convince yourself it’s 'good enough' when it’s not!"

What have you been convincing yourself "it's good enough?"  I did it in my last relationship.  I did it in past jobs.  I'm basically doing it now, working at the florist and only giving a half-assed effort at "making it" as a writer. 

Time to wake up!

I reached a point in all my past experiences of relationships and jobs where I just couldn't live the lie anymore.  The lie that "it's good enough" and that I was "happy."  That's when I finally made a change.  And I believe I'm there now, again. 

This month's schedule for the florist is already made up.  I could try to find people to cover my shifts, but I don't like to do that.  I made a committment, agreed to this schedule, so I'll at least fulfill it.  But starting in May, it's a whole new ballgame.  I'm getting back to my dream.  My life.

                                                               

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