Don't Settle for Second Best
Why Not Settle?
The difficulty with settling is that good enough seldom produces great results. Think back to the jobs you've held in the past. You can tell the ones that aren't a fit for you right away because you can't wait to get home and once you get there you never talk about your job, you're always looking forward to the weekend, stressed out, and just wishing your boss would just leave you alone. Was there really any room for creativity and expression there, the chance to be successful, make great money, impress your friends, be passionate? Of course not. In a depressing job all your energy gets channeled into merely enduring your duties, instead of using it to have fun with them and joking with the other folks in the office.
What Is Possible?
What if you woke up inspired to go to work and give it your all? Stayed longer because there's an interesting puzzle that you wanted to figure out? Your coworkers loved you and you go home more refreshed than when you arrived. Working with customers isn't a chore but rather a responsibility you look forward to because you have a product you believe in and can't wait to share it with them.
In a job that you love, this is the way things normally work. All sorts of things start to work out. You find yourself sitting around dreaming up new things to try out in your business - ideas and solutions to problems will just show up in your mind. You consider your coworkers real friends. Customers become partners and you value the relationship not only for the money they give you but the also the fact that you get to provide them with a valuable service.
What Do You Want?
If you already know what you want, the hard part is over. Skip ahead to the next paragraph. If you're undecided, spend a few minutes and consider some of the dreams you've abandoned. The ones that would put you in the state I mentioned above. Is it standing at the easel painting portraits for people? Inventing new gadgets that would make Apple envious? Working with the United Nations to feed the hungry? Look and find that thing that seems out of reach but if things would just work out, seems so fantastic.
The Decision
Now decide that you're going to reach your dream. It may take you a month, a year, maybe a decade. But decide that nothing is going to stop you and you're going to make it. So long as you waver, this journey will be fraught with obstacles, difficulties, and self questioning. The moment you decide to truly pursue it, the path will start to emerge and you can begin the steps that will carry you on towards you destination.
Turning Dreams into Reality
"Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy." - Dale Carnegie
The most important thing you can do is start taking action. A dream that remains in your head will remain there forever until the moment you start to act. Beyond just progressing towards your goal, taking action has another more important effect. You will start to realize that your goal really is attainable. It stops being this hazy thing that's not very well defined with no real plan, and becomes something you can get your hands on. You feel like you're actually getting somewhere. This is a truly remarkable and inspiring change that will give you the confidence continue forward when the going gets rough.
Taking Steps
"What saves a man is to take a step. Then another step. It is always the same step, but you have to take it." - Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Start taking action that will carry you towards your goal. Research what it takes to start a business. Take a night class that would assist you in the field you want to work in. Float your idea for a product during conversations and see how people respond. Talk to friends and see if they know anyone who can assist you.
Educating Yourself
If you need to understand a new area of study, flip through the local yellow pages and call a business and chat with the owner. Find out what they like about the job, the biggest challenges, how they advertise, the lessons they've learned. If you're daring enough invite them out to coffee and spend an afternoon absorbing information. Most entrepreneurs love to talk about their businesses and will welcome the opportunity to share their story with you. Internet forums can also provide contact with individuals who possess useful information and guide you along the way. As you do this, you're already start to think like and become the sort of person who you want to be.
Maintaining Stability
Transitioning into a new career may not happen overnight. Unless you have a good nest egg built up, it may not make sense to drop everything you're doing, leave your significant other, move to Alaska, and live in the garage till the Widget 9000 is ready for production. There's no need to burn all your bridges at once. You can maintain your current level of comfort while using it to support you move towards the ultimate destination.
Instead, shift your priorities in a direction that will bring you closer to your goal. If it's feasible and useful, scale back your hours and spend more time on activities related to your dream job. During your free time do things that bring you closer to your goal. Take night classes. Work part time in some sort of training position that will teach you what you need to know. If you need money to start a business, start saving more than you did in the past, knowing that the sacrifice you make will be repaid tenfold in the end.
Each step you take will bring you closer to your goal and the life you want to live. And if you've truly found the right goal you'll have fun as you move towards it. Best of luck.
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Ninpō (Planning)
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