I seem to be on a dream theme these days. I came across The Dreamers Podcast from Joe Pardo, which I had the pleasure to be a guest of on his show (coming soon); and also the Dream Warriors Podcast from Doc Kennedy and they have been very inspiring. Today 59 years ago, one man had a dream that he made come true even when no one believed in it – Disneyland was born. Walt is known for pursuing our dreams – “If you can dream it, you can do it”.
While listening to Doc’s podcasts today I got something out if it that I appreciated. In order for your dream to come true, you have to take the first step. What great advice, but sometimes that first step feels like you are walking off a cliff. It doesn’t have to. Try taking baby steps.
Your first steps can be:
– To sign up for a class
– Attend a seminar
– Get books about the subject you are interested in
– Listen to podcasts related to the topic
As you educate yourself in the field you are interested in you will gain confidence. Facing a new dream takes courage and risk. Sometimes the fear of the unknown is why our dreams never come true. Sometimes you need to give up things in order to achieve your goal. But if it is that important to you, the end result will mean more and you may have no regret for the things you gave up.
It could be as simple as this… you want to run your first 5K. So what would you have to give up to meet such a goal? Well, you may have to give up a little sleep on a Saturday morning in the summer so you can get out and run in the early morning hours when it is cooler. What’s more important to you, the sleep or working towards your first race finish?
Another road block towards reaching your dream is usually fear. You are afraid of the unknowns and the what ifs. If you let fear get in your way and paralyze you, you will never reach your dreams. For instance, if you were working toward that new finish line (a further distance or your first race) you need to think of what those fears are and talk yourself through them. What if I get hurt going further, what if I can’t finish, what if the weather is bad on race day. I’ve had many of those things actually happen to me during training and on race day, but you learn from it and it makes you a better achiever.
I came across this quote from Anaïs Nin which said:
“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”
Very powerful quote for me. Take your first steps. What have you got to lose? You may lose something, but what you will gain will be so much greater! I know I am so scared of the Dopey challenge this January, but when I cross the finish line on January 11, 2015 I am going to be so proud of my accomplishment! I also hope that during this process my children will see that I set my goal, worked hard for it and achieved it regardless of the fears and concerns that I faced during the way.
I am also afraid of my first sprint tri that I will be participating in on September 7. But I am making the effort to get in more swimming this summer and have to get back on the bike again (I have been lacking since May). But I will go for it. If I fail, I fail, but I will feel better for giving it a shot.
What is your dream or goal? What fears are holding you back from achieving them?