If you’re not dedicating time and effort to your dreams, you’re delaying them from happening. It’s as simple as that.
There are hundreds of reasons why we procrastinate pursuing our dreams, many of them having to do with the voices in our head.
I don’t really know what I’m doing.
Sound familiar? We’re terrified of failure. Every excuse stems from fear. In order to stop delaying the pursuit of our dreams, we must face the fear and silence our inner critics. Failure is a possibility. But would you rather play, knowing you might strike out, or ride the bench all season?
Time is also a reason why we delay. “I don’t have time,” seems to be the most commonly used excuse for everything from not reading to giving up on goals. I don’t even have children and I struggle to find time to do everything I want between working, exercising, meditating, cleaning, shopping, cooking, socializing, writing, commuting, enjoying hobbies, not to mention relaxing or sleeping.
But the sayings are true: we have the same number of hours in the day as everyone else. It’s up to us to decide how to use them. And if you can’t identify an hour or two of time that could be better spent, then I’m sorry, but you’re lying to yourself. Claim every spare minute. Become a master of your time. Treat your waking hours like money and budget them. Be honest with yourself about where your time goes. (Time spent reading this blog is VERY well spent, of course! Put it in the inspiration column.)
My dream is to become a professional writer. I need to write in order to make that happen. Starting this blog has been beneficial to me in many ways, but it stemmed from me taking a step toward a larger goal. Now I’m ready to take another step. November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). All over the world, writers come together with the goal of drafting a 50,000 word novel. I have never participated before, but I will this year.
Am I scared? Yes. Do I have time for this? No, not really. Am I ready? Nope. But in order to realize them, we must make our dreams a priority. NaNoWriMo is the perfect time because I am able to take a lofty goal and make it a S.M.A.R.T. goal, as in it’s: specific (draft a novel), measurable (50,000 words), attainable (sure, why not), realistic (technically, yes) and timely (one month).
Support is so important, but not required. Thankfully, my husband is on board. That isn’t to say I wouldn’t pursue this if he wasn’t, but it makes life easier. He understands the time commitment and we know we need to work together. There is also so much support during NaNoWriMo from other writers, including writing events, challenges, word wars, etc. If you want to participate, check out NaNoWriMo.org, search on your region (anywhere in the world) and find events happening in your area.
I believe my dream is worth one month of prioritization. Yes, it will be challenging, but I know I can do hard things. It’s time to stop delaying and get started, which is often the hardest step. There are a hundred excuses for not doing this, but only one why I should. This is my dream and it’s worth it! That one reason outweighs all the others so it’s time to jump in and put fingers to keyboard. I have roughly three weeks to plan and then it’s go time.
What is your dream? Silence the voice of excuses, face your fear, claim your time, make the pursuit a priority and GET STARTED. Your dream is worth it.
YOU are worth it.
