Pursuing Dreams

Do you like watching singing, cooking, dancing, crafting or other reality TV competition shows? I admit, I love to watch these shows and see people pursue their dreams.

As I watched one of these shows, it occurred to me that I was procrastinating about pursuing my dream. I wondered what was stopping me. Was I buying into the world’s view that I had to be a certain age to accomplish an aspiration?

Letting your age deter you

I believe ageism exists. But using age as an excuse to squash your dream is not acceptable.

Dreams come in all sizes. You may have a dream to learn how to play the piano or the desire to play the piano and get paid for it. Maybe your dream is to learn a new language, travel or learn a new sport? Or maybe you love wood working, painting or messing around with cars? Maybe you want to get your GED, trade certification or a college degree?

I think back to my college days and recall a forty-plus-year-old woman in my class getting her Computer Science degree. As a girl fresh out of high-school, I remember thinking she was old. To be honest, I did not get why she was doing this at her age. She intrigued me and on some level I was impressed by her. She was a very vibrant, kind human being who did not let her age deter her from going after what she desired.

Allowing fear to deter you

Search your heart. Is there a dream residing there waiting to be born? Are you afraid of failing? Or maybe you are afraid of what other people will think of you? Maybe you are afraid of success?

Sometimes we can be our own worst enemies. We make excuses for not pursuing our dreams or allow others to make excuses for us. We allow self-doubt or other people to rule our actions.

Act As If

Buried on my desk I found a small post-it containing a quote by writer Dorothea Brande. It says “Act as if it were impossible to fail. Ask yourself, ‘What would I be doing now if it were really impossible for me to fail?'”.

If you simply cannot fail, what do you have to lose? How much more confident would you be knowing failure is not an option? Pondering and answering this question causes you to take action to make your dream become a reality.

Take Action

You cannot talk or think your dream into being. You need to take action. The first action starts in your mind. Acknowledge you have this desire you want to pursue. Be confident and courageous in your pursuit. Do not look to others to validate you. They are not you and this dream is not theirs.

Dedicate time each day to work on your dream. Maybe you need to take a class to get started? Think about a time you felt successful. What steps did you do to accomplish what you set out to accomplish? Write them down and create a game plan specific to your dream.

It is important to keep showing up for your dream. Success results from consistently working towards your dream not from occasionally working. The journey may be imperfect; expect it to be. Control what you can control and let go of the rest.

Protect your dream

Do not expect people, even those close to you, to support you. Consciously or not, seeing you going after your dream, the courage you have to break free from self-doubt or the grip failure had on you, may make them feel uncomfortable. Claiming they are realists, they do not understand your “dreaming”. Truth be told, they are simply afraid of pursuing their dreams.

So in the beginning, you may want protect yourself from people that may discourage or tease you. Allow your confidence to grow as each day you see the progress you are making. Protect your time to accomplish what you need to accomplish to reach your dream. Keep your dream in the forefront of your mind and protect it from sabotage.

God’s involvement

We do not have to be famous to be superstars. God placed each of us on this earth for our own unique purpose. Aligning our heart’s desire with God’s will for our lives allows us to walk forward in confidence and have peace. Asking Him to align your heart’s desire with what He desires for you will ensure you are pursing the right dream.

As you move forward on this journey, continue to ask God for wisdom, direction and courage to step into the person He created you to be. Keep walking forward in faith, one day at a time, touching lives you would not have touched had you not pursued your dream.

Prayer

Lord, please align my heart’s desire with Yours. Help me to commit my plans to You. Direct my steps. As I trust You and take delight in You, You fulfill my heart’s desire.

Proverbs 16:3, Psalm 37:4