HOW TO GET STARTED ON YOUR DREAMS, NO MATTER HOW DAUNTING
When my twin brothers were turning thirteen, my dad took them to the Grand Canyon. They hiked up and down the dang thing.
It’s a whole day of walking one-way at a decline. Talk about burning calves. Then, you have to camp overnight before going back up. Now it’s one way at an incline. And mind you, you’re doing all of this in Arizona weather.
Still, they did it. They could barely walk back to their hotel room, but they did it.
Hiking up and down the Grand Canyon is daunting, but it’s concrete. That’s an easily measurable goal with an attainable time frame. My dad and brothers had a clear focus that they were able to train for leading up to the hike.
However, what if your goals aren’t concrete? What if there’s an abstraction, even an overwhelming sensation about them?
I think that in moments like this, it’s easy to stay on the couch watching Netflix while your dream stays on the bookshelf in your mind. Why bother starting? It’s all too much.
You need to understand why your dreams overwhelm you in the first place. Oftentimes, we may be focusing on too high an aspiration, like wanting to become a world-famous rockstar. Or, maybe your dream is not technically unattainable, but your life doesn’t have a lot of wiggle room for you to take the steps towards it, such as wanting to go back to get your master's degree. Or maybe it is attainable and you do have time, but for reasons that may be personal you’re not taking the first leap — like, you’re afraid to ask that guy out on a date.
Here’s my recommendation to begin: ask yourself if there are immediate steps that you can take toward your goal. Don’t think about how many steps are in front of you — think what can I do today? Ask that every day — what can I do today? The steps may be minuscule, and you may feel like you’re not making real progress. Keep going.
When I wanted to be an audiobook narrator, I was also twiddling my thumbs about the dream at first until I googled “Becoming an audiobook narrator.” The first thing that came up was a site called ACX.com, which is where anyone who wants an audiobook done on Audible meets up with narrators. It’s easy to sign up and start auditioning — no prior experience necessary. After signing up, I went to Guitar Center and asked the questions needed to eventually walk out with the right stuff for this. Now, I’m narrating audiobooks as a fun side hustle.
Regarding the rockstar-type dreams especially, I’ll add another thing to consider: your dreams may evolve with each step you take. Author and personal development speaker Dr. Margie Warrell stated this on her blog:
“Sometimes after we start moving in the direction of our goals and aspirations, new horizons of possibility open up. Sometimes our dreams shift direction. Sometimes new opportunities emerge. Sometimes old opportunities close down.”
All that’s saying is to remember that by focusing razor-sharp on what you can do today — and, if not today, then in a day — you will see different opportunities and course-correct. Our worldview only sees so much.
Each step may overwhelm you more about your dreams as you learn more about the practical steps to take. “Oh…you have to do this and this to become an astronaut?” Still, with each step, you also become more prepared to move forward. You’re better equipped and better informed.
Step after step we’re going to see more of the picture in front of us, but we have to promise ourselves that we take those steps in the first place. You will meet setbacks and challenges, but nonetheless, keep going. Step by step. Do what you can do today, because no matter how insignificant it may seem, it’s still more than doing nothing.
How are you working towards your dreams today?
