Creating with intention
Yesterday I joined a call with several dynamic professionals. The topic? Audacious goals. It made me realize that it isn’t often we verbalize our innermost dreams. Which is unfortunate.
There is something powerful about setting intention, announcing with clarity and conviction what you want and where you are going.
It’s easy and passive to let life come to you. The risky way? Making it known — and going after it.
Set one audacious goal this month. Failing is relative.
Very few people are exactly where they want to be. Everyone’s searching, striving for something.
More money, a better job, important responsibilities, a patient spouse, a new car, meaning, freedom, flexibility. Reasons differ, but the drive is the same. The quest for movement, for change, for different.
Knowing this, allow yourself one day to be grateful for exactly where you are. In this very moment, you are right where you need to be. You have everything you need. Delight in that. Recognize where you’ve come from and send gratitude to those who have helped get you there.
Tomorrow’s another day.
There’s a moment you realize you’ve been living a lie. In fact, you haven’t really been living at all, you’ve just been going through the motions. You’ve performed what’s expected of you, doing what it takes to make it to five o’clock.
Suddenly, you realize that you possess the distinct power to create the life you thought was reserved only for others.
You recognize that you can choose to step in the direction of your dreams.
You finally realize that no one else can dictate your journey. You don’t have to wait to be put in the game. You can build a happy ending. You can choose to be the star.
If you haven’t had this moment yet, find people who have and ask them to help you get there yourself.
I’m often asked how I made the transition from social work to social curation. If I’m honest, I never dreamed of having my own business or running my own show. In fact, for a very long time, I was looking for the perfect job, desperately trying to figure out how to craft the perfect cover letter to land the interview that would set me on a fulfilling and profitable career path.
I wish I could say I woke up one morning and realized this dream job was something I could actually create.
It started slowly, with an idea, and — drip by drip! — grew from experimentation to action.
You, too, can start small. You don’t need to have a finished product on the table before you decide to go. Simply identify what’s important to you, acknowledge your skills, and begin to make choices that excite you.
You don’t have to figure it all out today.
The things that really mean something take time.
Many years ago, a coach gave me an assignment that altered the course of my life. I’d like to share it with you, in hopes it might have a similar impact on the way you choose to live.
Write down a list of 50 – 100 things you’d like to do before you die.
My original list contained 88 items, a list of tasks ranging from intangibles to concrete — simple pleasures of learning how to tie a tie, to the (at the time) seemingly lofty goals of being in a movie, finishing a marathon, and being comfortable in my own skin.
I’ve revisited this list several times throughout the years. It’s acted as a guidepost for finding my passion and sorting out impulse from destiny. Sometimes it’s difficult to decide whether life choices are due to circumstance or something more intentional. One of my biggest fears is missing the boat, never finding true happiness and failing to follow my bliss. This list helps. It’s been an anchor.
Not to mention, it’s difficult to forge ahead if you don’t have a direction. I didn’t always know this and found tremendous challenge in commitment. But believe it or not, if you focus your efforts, you’re much more likely to get it done.
I’ve sat here and debated whether sharing this list is the right thing, but I have chosen to do so with the hope that it inspires at least one person to chase after their dreams. That’s worth a vulnerable moment.
Some items are outdated. Some I consider now and have no desire for it. Others aren’t even realistic. The point is to allow yourself to play, to dream, to explore. If you don’t “go there” in your mind, how could you any way else? Once it’s on paper, you can always return to it and assess if it’s probable or something you’d actually like to direct your energy towards.
First, create a block of time; carve it out on your calendar and set aside one hour to just write. Don’t pause to question. Just go. You might surprise yourself. I’d love to hear how it goes.
The point is, you’re never “too old” to start dreaming again.
What’s getting in the way of your dream chasing?
Note: this list was written in 2004. The “X” indicates completion. Italicized items are in process…
Every day I speak with individuals who tell me they want to succeed in a big way. While “success” can mean something different to each person, most people are looking to surpass the point they’ve arrived to date — a refreshed, higher, faster, better, cleaner, sharper, more focused state of being. Which seems pretty intuitive. People with ambition and drive want to move forward. Occupying the same space without any change one year from now can sound frightening, if not repulsive, to those with momentum and growth on the mind.
Yet, too often, these same individuals are taking specific actions in their lives to demonstrate otherwise, indirectly sabotaging their path towards greatness.
Find a mentor, a group, an outsider who will level with you and call your bluff. Put yourself in the position to listen openly and honestly, so that this time next year, you’ll have moved in the direction and at the speed you intended.