Following your dreams is… hard. I used to believe that as long as your intentions were good and you were putting in as much effort as possible, the end result will come. I grew up around entrepreneurs – just about every adult I knew, had their own successful business; it just seemed so easy. I never saw what happened behind the curtain – the money worries; the hours working after everyone went to sleep; the tough decisions. Apparently I romanticized entrepreneurship – who knew that was possible?
The Formula to Turn Your Dream into a Success
I have approached every journey from the perspective of adding value to my life and in turn, to others. I want to share all of the knowledge and insider information I have, to help others achieve their own dreams. My intentions are good, and the effort is there, but reality is… disappointing and lagging behind a bit. I was searching for the formula:
Have skill A + read book B + network with C + put in effort D = DESIRED RESULT/SUCCESS
I was convinced that the world would rise up and greet me on my mission and reward me for completing the above formula when I set-out on my own. Last week when I was a bit down about the whole process, I was telling a dear friend of mine my formulaic approach, when it hit me: the formula I was following had led me to success… in CORPORATE AMERICA!!! Yeah, my jaw dropped at my obtuseness, too. When you work in that type of environment, you know exactly what you need to do to succeed (if you aren’t seeing the moving pieces, let’s chat – I’ll be happy to share them with you). But when you’re stepping onto your own path, the paths for success and failure are broadened.
There is not one singular formula for success on your journey to your dream job, especially if it’s venturing out on your own. Instead, as I’ve learned and continue to learn each and every day, it’s about being prepared by having the skills, understanding what’s worked for others through books, connecting (even when it’s uncomfortable) with the right people, put in more effort than you ever imagined possible, AND being agile enough to apply feedback and change directions, and eventually… stop looking for a formula. Your dream job is uniquely yours. Yes that person may have landed five clients by doing a speaking engagement; perhaps another person may have increased their website traffic by PPC advertising; and someone else switched careers seamlessly because they tweaked their resume appropriately… but what worked for them, will not work for you because life and work, are not one-size fits all.
