I can’t say for sure if absolutely everyone wants to follow their dreams, but one thing I know for certain is that everyone deep down, has a dream. For the ‘lucky’ few who decide to actually do something about the dream they carry within them, I imagine not all are successful.
It can be a long, hard road on your way to success and it may be hard to know where exactly to start, and this is where a lot of us begin to lose confidence. I’ve come up with 5 easy steps to get you going if you’re feeling stuck. If you missed the last blog, and aren’t sure why you should follow your dreams, have a look at the 10 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS.
How to FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS ( 5 EASY STEPS)
- DO SOME SEARCHING
We rarely ever just wake up and say, today I’m going to be a politician, and lo and behold, we become politicians. Most, if not all of the successful people I know, following their dreams, are doing something they love doing. Within every single one of us, lies a passion for something, and it is within these loves and passions we have that we find our true calling. It is often that thing you are obsessed with. Our dreams are usually found in the small hobbies and talents we sometimes harbour within ourselves, those things that give us satisfaction when we do. The things we day dream of and wish we could do one day but haven’t quite found time, money or confidence to do. They are the little solutions we imagine when we see small problems in day to day life. They are there to be followed.
2. MAKE A DECISION
The number 2 step towards following your dreams is simply to make a decision! How easy is that ha? Well not so easy apparently because many of us take to our graves unrealised dreams, lost and drowned in our fears, they drift away and leave with us when we go. Many of us do a lot of THINKING and pondering and never finesse our thoughts and ideas into ONE SOLID decision.
- Decide on the thing you wish to do that to you, defines following your dreams.
3. OVERLOOK YOUR “CIRCUMSTANCES”
One of the biggest obstacles I faced trying to follow my dreams is that of using my circumstances as excuses. I didn’t have money, no savings and I was struggling to keep up with bills as it was because I had no stable income, but focusing on the negatives wasn’t going to help me at all.
The old saying ‘Where there’s a will there’s a way’ isn’t at all that unrealistic. What you have to do is want something that much. The will, the desire, the passion, the hunger and the thirst so much that you can think of nothing else. That is what is needed. As Paulo Coelho put it, “And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”
So how do you overlook all theses things called circumstances?
Though we are not completely responsible for all of our circumstances, I do agree with James Allen when he said our thoughts are also partly responsible for some of our circumstances, that good thought brings good results and bad thought, bad results. Begin to focus on adjusting those things you think are in the way. If you lack money, you can start with the things that don’t need money while you save. If you lack time, begin to focus your thoughts on the possibility of adding just an hour or two to your daily schedule. Waking up an hour earlier every day is enough to put in 365hours of effort every year. You have to be willing to make some sacrifices by thinking of the positive that you want at the end, and all the skills and lessons to be learned in the process.
In 2012, after graduating, I wanted to launch a menswear brand. As I mentioned, I had no money or savings and for a while I couldn’t find a way out. The burning want for this dream to come true pushed me to save over £3,000 to pay for a fashion show during London Fashion Week. I reduced my spending, I worked that much harder, I lost that much sleep because my state of mind was unable to accept the possibility of not being able to have this fashion show. Although I had no idea whether it was going to be a success or not, I was willing to take this risk. In a million ways, the show was a huge success, I did something new, I felt great, I felt fulfilled, that great tingling feeling in my chest, almost trembling as I walked down what seemed like a thousand feet to the end of the runway and back, while absolutely everyone cheered me on. It felt almost like confirmation that this is what I should be doing.
The downside is that I hadn’t done enough research to find out how people were going to buy my clothes. Which leads us to Number 4.
4. MAKE A PLAN
My very favourite thing to do now is finding out new things. The moment I’m unsure about something or simply don’t know, if it’s not the dictionary, it’s Google, that leads to Wiki, that leads to more research that will probably lead to me reading a few articles and probably even a book.
Had I done my research, I would have known that in order for the show to be worth all the money I had put all my efforts into saving, I would have needed quite a few buyers attending the show, and a lot more investment of my time and energy into other important things. I had made efforts to have a few buyers there, but unfortunately they were unable to get into the show.
The only way of making a solid workable plan is by doing your research. Know everything there is to know inside out, back to front about your subject of interest. This way you are able to know what others have already learned and how others have done both successfully and unsuccessfully, this way you will know what would work for yourself.
5. WORK
Once you have your plan, you may now find it will be easier to follow through because you will have rearranged a few things in your life to overcome the obstacles. Work and work and work, and let your efforts lead you to your dreams. Remember that the amount of effort you put into something is the same amount of results you will gain..
I now have a solid plan towards this goal, and have been working step by step, day by day towards making this dream come true.
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