Are you on track toward creating the life you want in 2017?
Or are the four D’s of Dream Destruction going to keep you stuck in place, spinning your wheels until you find yourself changing your calendar again, wondering why you’re no closer to your dreams in 2018 than you were in 2016?
I am sharing this material from my own coach, David Norris. David and I share some common ground with our passion to help other leaders realize their best dreams and potential. We both speak and teach about charting a vision of your next chapter, whether that is business or life, vocation or avocation.
Here are Dave’s thoughts:
I’m going to share four common obstacles that keep people from creating the lives they desire, even when they work hard and seem to be doing everything right.
Let’s see if you’ve been caught in any of these traps:
Dream Destroyer #1: Distraction
Paying attention to our five physical senses – what we hear, see, taste, touch, and smell – can keep us alive by helping us avoid physical danger. But when it comes to turning our dreams into reality, those same senses can actually become an obstacle.
Many people look to their senses for permission to move forward with their dreams. They look at their daily schedules – the same schedules that have been creating the same results for years – and get sidetracked with activities that have nothing to do with creating the life they want.
There’s always another newsletter, group, program, or fad to keep you distracted, and spending time on them is often easier than charting a new path toward the life you desire.
You only get 24 hours in a day. If you want to create the life of your dreams, you need to spend those hours on activities that bring you closer to those dreams, and not get sidetracked by distractions that don’t truly serve you.
Dream Destroyer #2: Dissuasion
We don’t just look to our senses for permission to pursue our dreams.
The conditions and circumstances of our lives, our checkbooks, our calendars, the news, the economy, the latest crisis, our job, our family and our friends all conspire to dissuade us from creating and following our dreams – if we let them.
You’ve probably heard excuses from other people for not following their dreams, or warnings about why you shouldn’t follow yours. You don’t have enough money, the economy or time isn’t right, better safe than sorry.
The truth is, the ‘right’ time and conditions aren’t likely to simply fall into your lap. It’s up to you to create them, and to make space for the things that support your dreams to enter your life.
Dream Destroyer #3: Delay
As Randy Komisar said, “There is the most dangerous risk of all: the risk of spending your life not doing what you want, on the bet you can buy yourself the freedom to do it later.”
The truth is, you might not be alive next year. Are you willing to spend your whole life waiting for a future that might never come, or would you rather start living the life you want as soon as possible?
The people who created the lives of their dreams didn’t do so by waiting for the opportune moment. They did it by taking what steps they could from where they were at the time, then taking more steps after that.
Dream Destroyer #4: Disappointment
After all the distraction, dissuasion and delays, this is where you end up. It’s fitting that “disappointment” is the word used for this, because “appointment” is defined as a meeting set at a specific time.
To realize your dreams, you need to have an “appointment” with them – a specific time to work on them.
Otherwise, they simply slip through the cracks. As a result, another year goes by without progress, leaving you feeling sad and frustrated, and leaving the people who needed you bereft of the help that your dream could have given them.
Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. ~ Mark Twain
Are you tired of waiting for your dream life to begin, and ready to start LIVING it?
Your first step is to book a 30-minute strategy session with me, during which we’ll explore your dreams, see what’s holding you back, and see if I’m the right person to help you turn those dreams into reality.
David Norris is a leadership coach helping business owners thrive! You can view more about Dave at David Norris Leadership
