Yesterday I sat with a 22-year-old guy who was still trying to find his way, his dream, in life. He was part of a team installing Christmas lights on my farmhouse. We struck up a conversation, and he ended up asking me what I did for a living. I told him, “I coach Badasses.” I saw him light up, and he started to ask me the big life questions, those that many people don’t think to ask. I was proud of him for this and eagerly listened to and answered his questions.
He wanted advice on what he should do with his life. Where should he go? How should he figure out what he wants to be when he grows up? When he figured it out, how should he go about achieving that dream? His entire life, he’d never really had to bust his ass and get after it. He went to college, graduated, and was now making a living hanging Christmas lights. It wasn’t exactly his idea of “living the dream”.
He told me that, in his ideal world, he would love to fly cargo jets. He’d spoken to a couple of Air Force guys and was trying to figure out how to get a pilot’s license. I asked how much time he had spent at local airports that hobbyist pilots used all the time, and he told me he hadn’t been to them. Honestly, the thought had simply not crossed his mind. We talked about going to those airfields and getting to know the people there. He could get a job at a diner on the airstrips, helping out around the field, or even offer to work for free in order to get a glimpse of their world.
His most significant takeaway from our conversation was that he needed to pull his head out of his ass, get off the screen, and get to work. He would spend hours listening to or watching all the big name gurus such as Gary V., Grant Cardone, and Frank Kern, but he wasn’t taking action. This was his first mistake.
You see, when people don’t have a real dream, their vision of themselves becomes fuzzy. They tend to look for a hustle, something to just make ends meet, versus establishing a career. If you have a dream, then you need to immerse yourself in it. Even if that dream is just a small glimmer of an idea in the back of your mind, immersing yourself can help you to figure out if it’s a good fit for you, or if it’s better off as, say, a hobby. Find out if that dream is truly a passion. Even if it isn’t, you’ll probably learn some tangible new skills that you can apply to other areas in your life.
But what do you do if you know there’s something more out there for you, but aren’t sure exactly what that something is? Well, it’s time for you to figure that out.
First, figure out your dream
The very first step in following your dreams is to actually figure out exactly what your dream is. How do you go about doing that? Start by asking yourself five questions:
- What are your talents? Are you incredibly artistic? Are you a great writer? Can you code the shit out of an application or website?
- What do you want your days to be like? Do you want to have the ability to work odd hours whenever you want or need? Do you want to be able to work independent from a static location? Do you want to stand up in front of people and motivate them to be the best they can be?
- If you only have 6 months to live, what would you do with your time? Yes, this is a morbid question, but hear me out. We don’t know how many days our lives have, so if you think about what you would do if you did know, that can help you to figure out your dreams.
Dreams make life more fun
When you’ve made up your mind to figure out and follow your dreams, life just becomes a little better. Even the worst days don’t seem as bad when you know there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. If you’re stuck in a meaningless job, going home, sleeping, and doing it all over again, the days and weeks seem to drag on. Deciding to go for your dreams gives you that extra motivation to wake up in the morning and keep trying, keep grinding, and keep your head up. No one else is going to follow your dreams for you. They’re busy following their owns. So why shouldn’t you do the same?
“A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard work.” Â – Colin Powell
YOLO
Life is short, and you only get one shot at it. So why spend the one life you’ve been given dragging yourself from day to day, doing things that don’t make you happy? If you have even a hint of a dream, dive into it and see what you can come up with to make that dream a reality. Even if you don’t know right now, make a point to try new things until you find something that sticks!
I hope this blog helps you to find your dreams and your passion. Trust me, I know it’s in there somewhere. You might just have to dig around a bit to find it.
You’re reading this blog right now because you’re ready to step up and be the badass you dream of being. And you’ve got this. I have faith in you, and you should too. I see that inner badass trying to come out. Now it’s time to rip off the duct tape wrapped around your spirit and Run Like Hell.
Ready to hang with the cool kids?
Join us in my Facebook Group: Success Champions (Where Champions Hang Out & Rise Together)