How often do we find ourselves day-dreaming during work or simply while sipping tea in the garden? If you are anything like me, I guess the answer is – quite often. We think about the vacation that we have always wanted to take or the bucket list that you wrote down when you were very inspired one Sunday afternoon or simply wanting to turn your hobby into a business plan. We wish we could have done this or that and how unrealistic all of it seems now because you have exams to study for, office work pending on your desk, children to take care of and the ‘why-I-can’t-do-it now-list’ goes on and on.
We often blame our situations or people around us for the goals we couldn’t achieve, the passions we couldn’t pursue. But could there be another side to why our wish-list tends to be just a “wish-list”?
Let’s look at it this way – How many people does it take to conceive a dream? One. You. How many people or approvals do you need to go forward and live that dream? – One. YOU. Then why do we tend to paralyze ourselves from turning that “wish-list” into a “done-and-dusted-list”?
The answer is – fear.
We fear failure. Failing at the said task, failing to seek approval of people around us. Remind yourself how often you’ve stopped yourself from doing something only because of that one thought – “What will the society think of me?” We wait to seek validation from our parents, friends and the society in general. We tend to forget that in the end, we’re only answerable to ourselves. Failing isn’t the destination. It is just a representation of your bravery which made you want to try. Like the famous quote says, “If you don’t ask, the answer is always no.” So if you have not tried, you have failed anyway. Isn’t it much better to take that chance and try to do what you want to? 🙂
Now, if you are the kind to not worry about what anyone thinks, first of all, a pat on your back. In spite of the carefree attitude, if you still find yourself wasting your Monday laying on a couch, wrapped in a blanket or working in an air-conditioned office that you can’t wait to leave at 5 PM, you have got to understand, you are doing something wrong. If you are going to tell me, you have bills to pay and cannot afford to pursue your hobby or set up your business that you have wanted to for the past five years, let me share with you a self-assessment test I learned from a well-known entrepreneur, Gary Vaynerchuck.
So here’s what you’ve got to do –
- Divide how you spend your 24 hours. Say, you have a 9-5 job.
- That takes up 8 hours of your day.
- 1 hour for commuting to and from work.
- You cannot do without 7 hours of beauty sleep – done.
- Family is a priority, yeap! So you spend 2 hours with them.
Sounds like a decent life, doesn’t it? And you still have 6 hours left. This is where your analysis begins. What do you do in these 6 hours? If you are not dedicating this time to work on your goals, you are not doing justice to your potential. So START. Start making the best of what you have. Start striking things off that wish-list.
My dear dreamers, don’t just dream. DO. This is my first ever blog and this is my leap. What about you?:)
Share your comments below! Thank you for reading! =D
A Twenty-Something Girl 