(Anonymous, shared with me by my daughter. Thank You Tessa)
Too many people start their dream search with a misstep. They focus mostly on the “What” (what they want) and neglect the “Who” (those special friends or friends of friends who can help them). The people in your “Who” World are the most important people in your life because they empower you to find your purpose, define your objectives, reach for your dream, fulfill your ambitions, and achieve your goals.
Fear of failure keeps more people stuck in the safety of the status quo than anything else. Anxiety wants you to believe your nightmares instead of your dreams. When you’re daydreaming, where does your mind wander? Do you have a recurring dream?
Another reason people don’t succeed in realizing their “What” (those hidden dreams, goals, ambitions, and purpose) is because they don’t take time for reflection. Busyness can masquerade as effectiveness. When you discover “What you want” you get “Who you are” thrown in. What you truly want will derive from who you really are. In other words, it will tap into your personality, your skillset, your passion.
You must regularly clear your thoughts. This is best accomplished in a calm, quiet, soothing environment that inspires – a place where the constant noise of the regular world is not heard. Nature does that. The goal is to quiet your mind so you can begin to think reflectively. Rediscover what makes you feel fulfilled, satisfied, and content.
When you come to the realization of “what you want” to do and it lines up with “who you are” as a person then life becomes all about doing what you love, with those you love, in a place you love, that your spouse/family also loves and doing all the “about” for the right reasons.
The next step is to come up with a list of your dreams, goals, and aspirations. It’s important to write it down, put it up on a “dream wall” so you and your “Who” world can see it, and then begin to “dream out loud” how you’re going to get it.
Here are five clues you’re looking for.
1. The Recurring Dream – what preoccupies your thoughts during your waking hours. What’s holding your attention? What keeps resonating with you? That’s a clue!
2. Gifts and Talents – What are you just naturally good at? You’ve always been good at it. It comes easy to you.
3. Birds of a Feather – When you’re on the right track, there will be a resonance with others moving along in the same stream. There’s an unspoken acceptance. You’re all moving in the same direction. It’s a sense of not only finding yourself but also of discovering there are other swimming alongside you in this stream. If you have found your “stream,” if you have been accepted by a “tribe” – don’t take this for granted. It’s another important clue.
4. Rejection – There are people who will cut your head off for no other reason than if you’re swimming in their stream and they think you don’t belong. They’re just not going to be impressed with anything you do. You can’t win because they won’t let you win. You’re an outsider, an interloper, not of their tribe. These are not your people. They will put you down, keep you from performing at your best, and kill your spirit. They don’t wish you well, but instead desire to control you within their limited parameters designed to “keep you in your place.” It’s a clue or hint that maybe you’re on the wrong team, hanging with the wrong crowd, you’re working for the wrong company. Rejection is a severe teacher but can be even more instructive than favor because it forces you to come to grips with who you really are and who you’re not. There’s a stream for you! There’s a flow that fits you. You have friends who will lead you to it and help you in. Go where you’re celebrated, not just tolerated.
5. Do What You Love – Doing what you “love” is one of the most essential components of finding your dream. So many people haven’t allowed love to direct their path because they really don’t believe they can do what they love, with the people they love, in a place they love, and be happy, successful, and fulfilled.
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