Stop Dreaming and Start Doing

Here’s a universal secret. There is no such thing as a perfect time. Stop dreaming and start doing the things you want to do.

Wanting vs Having

Everybody wants. When you’re a kid, all you want is a little love, attention, and that cool toy you just saw on TV. Most of us got the first two and sometimes we even got the toy. Life was good.

Then things got more complicated as we got older. We started wanting things that we didn’t know how we were going to get. A new car or motorcycle. A date with the cute girl in High School. A decent job. Wanting got easier and having got harder. Instead of depending upon our parents to give us what we wanted, we had to go figure out how to get it on our own.

That experience affected people differently, but here’s what I see in most folks. You didn’t know how to get what you wanted, so you stumbled a few times. Maybe you lost something you had while trying to get something you wanted. That sucked, so you tried to hold on to what you have while trying to get what you wanted.

How did that work for you? Did you start thinking that some things you wanted were unrealistic? Did you give up? Did you stop trying and just let yourself dream about something you wanted? I know I’ve done that before.

Learning to Let Go

After a while, you realize that you still want what you want. Getting it isn’t easy, so you start planing how to get it. Plotting.  Scheming. You believe that it’s just a matter of putting together the pieces. It’s a puzzle to solve. You have to save for it. You have to wait for it. Everything has to be just right according to your plans, and then the object of your desire will be yours.

Except, that doesn’t work.

The reason it doesn’t work is because the thing you want is beyond your control. The economy isn’t right. A baby is on the way. You can’t risk what you have in order to get what you want.

Can you?

When I look at the people who succeeded in achieving great things, it’s because they did what they wanted, or what they had to do, despite the risks. It doesn’t mean they were careless. Instead, it means they took a calculated risk.

That’s the only path that really works. The stars will not align perfectly so you can safely step from one place to another. You have to stop dreaming and start doing. Otherwise, nothing will ever change.

Stop Dreaming and Start Doing

Sure, that’s easy for me to say. I don’t know your situation. I don’t know what you have at risk. However, you may not understand what I’m suggesting.

I’m not saying you should throw caution to the wind and toss everything aside. Instead, I’m suggesting that you take a hard look at your priorities. Maybe you’d like to be a professional photographer and travel the world, but you’re afraid to try because you have a family to support. That’s a pretty serious obligation. Maybe that’s because your family is what you want more than the notion of traveling the world with your camera.

On the other hand, you may find yourself in a job that bores the snot out of you. Is that really how you want to live your life? Did someone tell you that you have to be a corporate drone They’re wrong. Make a change. Stop dreaming and start doing what you love.

The real secret is making sure that you know what you love the most. Sometimes, you already have what you want.