Letting your dreams be dreams leads to a life of longing for something that you never let yourself have. Not to mention a future life of regret when you get to the point where time has run out.
The top regret of the dying
You know the top #1 regret of the dying?
“I wish I lived a life true to myself, and not a life others expected me to live.”
Book: The Top 5 Regrets of the Dying
When I was working at my desk job back in Oakland, California, I knew I wasn’t happy. I wanted more out of life but I didn’t know what I wanted.
One day, when I saw an ad for the digital nomad lifestyle, I immediately knew: “THAT is what I want!” Instantly, it became a dream.
I started thinking: “It would be nice if I could…”, “I would really like to be able to…”
It was just an idea. Deep inside, I knew it was an idea that I REALLY wanted. However, there was also another part of me that wouldn’t let myself have it.
WHY?
Why are there these two parts of us battling inside each of us? One who wants, and the other who suffocates those wants?
Take a moment to reflect on your own experiences, and if you’ve ever been in a situation like this.
Don’t let your dreams be dreams
Back at the office…I told a coworker of mine of my idea. “Maybe I’ll quit this job, get a remote job, and travel the world.”
You know what he said back to me? I’ll NEVER forget it. (I know, I know, never say never. But this time I really mean it.)
He told me:
“Don’t let your dreams be dreams.”
The funny thing is, at the time, he was my mentee. I was mentoring him at work, and here he went throwing down wisdom that changed the course of my life.
That’s not the point though. (Neither is the fact that I’m pretty sure he was quoting that weird viral video from Shia LaBeouf.)
The point is that he had a point. He got me thinking.
I want to do this. Am I going to actually do it? Or just keep hoping and wishing to do it one day?
That’s when I decided: I’m going to flipping go!
And I did.
I never looked back.
There is no such thing as impossible
Now, I aim to carry that same attitude for everything I want. The crazy part is, it’s all possible!
I used to think the human flag was an impossible feat…until I could hold it.
One arm pushups seemed to me one of the hardest things in the world…now I can do 10 in a row.
There is no impossible…only I don’t want to.
If you want to, you will. If you don’t you wont. It’s that simple.
What is your dream? What steps can you take today to get you there?
Nothing comes all at once. But step by step you can get to where you want to be.
Quitting my job and jumping on a plane to South America didn’t happen all of a sudden. No, I planned it out. I applied for remote jobs, I interviewed with many companies, I planned when would be the best time for me to leave.
My remote life was planned one day at
Its much better than living the office life waiting for the next vacation.
Trust me.
Be weak, or keep moving. You’re not both.
One more quick story…let’s get back to one arm pushups for a second.
Yes, I can do one arm pushups (feet together!).
Are they easy? Kinda, now.
Was working up to doing them easy? No, it took a lot of time and effort.
But here’s the thing: I shake.
Do I let my shakiness stop me? No way!
Ever since one of my first yoga classes yeeeeaaars ago, I realized that my body shakes when I hold certain poses, like the plank for example.
I’ve asked various people/instructors what the shakiness means. One said, “maybe you’re weak.”
Ha!
If I heard that now, I might just drop to the ground and pump out some one-arms, staring them in the eyes asking “do this look weak to you?”
But that’s not the point.
The point is, I’ve been shaking my whole adult-exercising life…and I didn’t let it stop me.
Yes, it has wavered my confidence in the past. It might make me look weak in classes. No, it’s not attractive if a cute girl notices it. But it doesn’t stop me.
What about you is shakey? Do you let it stop you, or do you carry on anyway?
How to embrace parts of you you don’t like
Some things about us, we cannot change. One thing we CAN change is what action we take.
In fact, the weird thing is you often have to embrace, accept, and respect the parts of you you wish you could change but you cannot. If you don’t, it’ll consume you. Know they’re there, respect them, and keep moving on.
I’ll leave you with this, an exerpt from one of my favorite singers speaking about what the devil means to him:
The devil, however you look at it, that’s that energy
Brent Smiththats inside of you telling you: “you can’t do it”, “you’re never gonna do it”. And what you have to learn is, you don’t have to like that part of you, but you have to respect it, because if you don’t it’ll take over, and it’ll make you second guess who you are, and I’m telling you, don’t ever do that. STand your ground, be yourself, and I promise you you’ll succeed in everything you do.
