Your Life Depends On It
Usually, when we use the phrase ‘like your life depends on it’, we’re speaking metaphorically. If you’re going to sit down and study ‘like your life depends on it’, it doesn’t mean you’ll die if you don’t. It’s just something that’s really important.
That’s not what we are talking about right now.
We’re talking literally, though to be clear, I’m not referring to death either. I’m talking about your life. The quality of your day to day fulfillment. Your life is really made up of tiny, precious nows and each moment of each day you are not achieving and living your dreams, you’re dying without them. In other words, you need to start achieving your dreams as if your life depends on it…because it really does. Happiness follows success in all its many forms. Start becoming who you were born to be right now.
Sounds good on paper right? Many people tend to think that going after a dream means a total sacrifice of one’s current life model. In order to become a surgeon or a rock star, you have to quit your day job bussing tables today and go for it, right? Wrong.
While that scenario makes for a great movie scene or motivational video, it’s not realistic. If you drop everything and run blindly toward what you want, you’ll find yourself stuck, failing, or unmotivated. Fulfilling your dreams does not have to involve unhealthy risks.
So how can we start now the right way? I submit that the difference between those who achieve and those who do not is their willingness to move through days and weeks and months and even years sticking to a strategic routine. That’s it. Consistency.
It will look different for everyone depending on your life and your goals. Maybe for you it’s carving out 30-60 minutes a day by staying up later or waking up earlier; using lunch breaks or sacrificing outings with friends to do what you need to do. Whatever the case, build the routine into your life and be consistent. With enough time, you will achieve what you want.
If that sounds grueling, you’re right. It can often be. Talented people are everywhere. People that can commit and stick to something for long periods of time are not. Achievers keep going even when they have nothing left to give. Dreams are realized an inch at a time.
Those grueling stages of late-night medical school or hours of practicing your instrument are, in fact, fulfilling your dreams of becoming a surgeon or rock star. You’re living them already by inching them slowly into reality. Treat that slow burn process like the dream it really is.
If you’ve fumbled before in your quest to fulfill a dream, you can always try again. Or perhaps…it’s not the right dream. Many dreams take years to see through so if you’re going to achieve them, make sure to chase the ones that speak to your soul. Wanting to achieve something for praise, popularity, or wealth may get you far, but in the end, simply isn’t enough. This dream has to root deeply from within and be connected to who you are and what you believe. Your passion for it has to be fueled by wanting to express what lies within yourself. That’s the kind of dream that will endure the harsh blockades of a busy, stressful life and make you truly happy when you accomplish it.
Don’t stop searching until you’ve found a dream you want as badly as you want to breathe. Commit to be in it for the long haul, without setting a limit on how long it will take. Then go after it like your life depends on it…because it truly does.
I want to hear what dreams you’ve been after and for how long in the comments below! What are some new dreams you’ve set your eyes on?