All The Time and Money You Need

What are your dreams/goals? What would you do if you had all the time in the world to achieve your dreams? What would you do if you had all the money in the world to achieve your dreams?

Is it really money or time stopping you? What would you do if you BEHAVED as IF you had all the time and money you needed to achieve your dreams? Most people think they don't have the time or money to start their dreams.

I think there's a great power in just starting something. In just taking that first step. I have many friends who went to college in their later years and started new careers. Those heroes of mine realized that the time would pass anyway and so they just began; when they became committed, they solved the money part, too.

A lot of businesses spend a TON of time planning things. But, all the planning in the world cannot predict the future. Cannot predict what will happen next. Amazing things happen in our lives and horrible things happen in our lives. The only thing that is certain is to hold on to a vision and BEGIN to work towards it.

When I asked "If you had enough time/money, what would you do" on Facebook a year or so ago, the people who responded had very simple and lovely dreams, I got answers like:
I'd have a vegetable garden
I'd exercise more
I'd write a book

Those things are SO achievable in my mind, but in the mind of my respondents, they weren't. They were paralyzed and couldn't begin; couldn't start. When you look at those goals, think of how YOU would begin them . . . the funny thing is, as I look at those, just 15 minutes a day could make a difference. Weeding and planting for 15 minutes before or after work daily would start a garden. Exercising 15 minutes before or after work; walking on break -or lunch would start an exercise plan. Writing for 15 minutes a day would start a book. It's NOT really time and money that you need, it is just that you need to begin,  you need to start working toward your dream today . . .

I'm a huge fan of Jon Acuff and he's just launched his "START" book. Here's a little video that might inspire you today to start working on your dream: 

When You Grow Up

Get out a pen and paper. Seriously. I'll wait.

Okay, now write down your age 5 career goals. Write down that job you wanted to have "when I grow up"

Now, move ahead five years and write down your career goals for age 10, 15, 20, 25 . . . you get the picture. Write it down for every 5 year period of your life so far.

Look at your list. Are you doing what you intended to do with your life?? Are you doing ANY of those things?

As our passions and interests grow and develop we forge hobbies and sometimes careers. As I've written about before, a great life is like a great improv -full of limitless choices.

That doesn't mean that our choices don't come with a PRICE. You have to be willing to pay the price to achieve the dream. If you want to become a concert pianist, you pay the price of TIME. You spend hours and hours at the piano. If you want to be a doctor or a lawyer you pay money and time as you work towards your degree. If you want to be an actor, you pay the price of slogging through bad productions and missing out on a social life. (I can't, I have rehearsal.)

Look at your list. Are you doing ANYTHING that you'd planned on doing? If you are, that's great! You get a gold star, an A+ and a standing ovation. Seriously. I'm proud of you and I have a strong feeling that you are happy in your life!

Are there any career goals on your list you wish you'd pursued? Circle them.

Write down the (honest) cost of pursuing that long-lost dream career.

Write down the (honest) cost of NOT pursuing your long-lost dream career.

Those are your pros/cons. So, what are YOU going to be when you grow up??

Take it With a Grain of Salt

Of COURSE, I had to click on an article with the provocative title of "The 10 WORST College Majors"!! Oh my gosh! Don't let my kids choose THOSE majors, oh please, God. (I hope you sense my sarcasm there.)

Guess what? A BUSINESS-focused magazine with a tagline of "Information for the world's business leaders" has an article skewed to scare anyone away from a degree in just about every arts field.

It is the job of the Forbes editors to KNOW their audience and play to it just like any musician would! (Couldn't resist an arts reference!! Hee hee!) 

I hate to break it to you, but, the arts have ALWAYS been a risky field. So is business, if you don't have the acumen for it!

The question is: do you have the STAMINA to make money in a field that is more focused on the arts rather than business? And, why can't you do both? Who SAYS you cannot be an artist/writer/actor/ photographer/musician/archeologist/arty-type with a great mind for business, too! Go for what you love. Be the exception to the rule! 

The surest way to failure is to live someone else's dream! If you love the arts, go for it. If you love business, go for it! If you're somewhere in the middle, go for THAT! Live YOUR dream!