A few days ago I saw that a barber that I know opened up his own barber shop. He finally made his dream reality. When I saw the support that he received, I actually teared up (AKA, I got a little dirt in my eyes since I was in public). My heart was so full when I saw a normal person getting the courage to get out there, take a risk, and accomplish his goal. Not only did his courage inspire me, the overwhelming support he received also put dirt in my eyes! Seeing people gather around him made me think about how powerful friends and family can be when you finally chase your dreams. If you have a dream you have been sitting on for years, I want you to start going after it today. Here are a few lessons I have learned about taking a chance to achieve a goal!
Stop making excuses!
I have had the opportunity to see numerous inspirational speakers and one message they have in common is “chase your dreams right this second.” There will always be an excuse to wait one more day, year, or decade to start chasing that dream. Stop telling yourself that you will do it when you have more money or when your kids are grown. Life only gets more complicated as time goes on. If you are short on money now, there are steps you can take right now that are free. Volunteer at that animal shelter, watch videos about starting that YouTube channel, or read books about how to publish those poems. Be creative if you need to! Just get the ball rolling!!
Compound interest (on your time)
Most dreams are not easy to accomplish. That is OK! Just remember that the longer you put it off, the less time is your ally. Think of it in terms of compound interest. Right now I don’t have thousands of followers on my blog or money trees growing in my back yard. Imagine where my blog could be in five years. If I work diligently every day to chip away at my goal of having a successful blog, I pray that my blog will be a little bit more popular and a little bit more lucrative in five years. Now let’s flip the scenario. What if I waited five years to start my blog? The temptation to do that is so strong. I could wait until I’m financially stable, out of college, settled in my military career, etc. Wow. Doesn’t that sound so appetizing? Well, no. If I started five years later, I would be at a loss of potentially thousands of followers, hundreds of subscribers, and (maybe) money. That is the opportunity cost of starting my blog later. Those are the same risks you would be taking by continuing to make excuses. Time can be your best friend instead of your enemy.
Loving those who are chasing their dreams
The day that you begin your journey of chasing your dream (which I hope is today), you will see that there are two types of people. The first type, which is my favorite type, is the type of person who recognizes that you are putting yourself out there and supports you endlessly. (Just to name a few, my endless supporters have been mom, Nicole, Monica, Moriah, Katie, Anna, Danielle, Ashlyn, Kevin, Monique, Lindsey, Sam, PV, Sean, and Lauren. Thank you to each of you. I will never forget what you’ve done to support me!). They will advertise your new adventure before it’s cool even when it gets zero “likes” on Facebook and Instagram. Those are the best kind of people and I urge you all to be like that.
The other type of person is the naysayer. These people whisper their doubts and critiques. Unfortunately, sometimes those whispers seem the loudest. When you are taking a risk, there are bound to be people who do not support you. Put on your noise-cancelling headphones and keep on trucking! There are insecurities that drive people to whisper, including myself. I am guilty of this exact same thing. All we can do is catch ourselves when we start to criticize people who are chasing their dreams and remember to encourage them. Please support the people around you who are on a journey to achieve their goal!!
Don’t leave stones unturned. Chase your dreams. Now.
XOXO,
Kay
