You’ll never get there.
You just don’t have what it takes.
You’re not ____ (talented, smart, experienced, etc.) enough.
Something tells me you have a voice like that one. It stays quiet until you’re about to do the big thing, the thing that will push you over from dreamer to doer. That’s why you got stuck in that season and why you’re watching everyone else live their dreams.
I’ve been doing a lot of research lately. Reading articles on finding your calling like this one, watching videos and listening to podcasts. From what I gathered, you have a lot to lose if you don’t pursue your passion. The good news is that there are simple ways you can begin the process.
You can start by taking small steps.
- Use or create a bullet journal. Every night before you go to bed, jot down just three things you want to accomplish the next day. Make sure these are doable, practical steps you can take. Activities you’ll actually do. The smaller the better. Think email that editor. Research that job. Connect with someone who is doing the job you would love to do.
- Reward yourself only for effort not result. Checking that list will be reward itself. But if you want to create a reward system such as getting that brand new book or going out for dinner, make sure you do it for tackling your goals not for achieving it. You’re more likely to persevere if you feel motivated by your attempts not your results.
- Find a support group. I told a coaching client that she would never get towards her dreams if she continued to surround herself with people who dumped on her. I’d say the same to you. We tend to mirror our external circumstances with how we feel inside. Similarly, if you choose to hang out with negative people, it’ll reinforce your fears and keep you where you are, not where you want to be.
Taking these steps will slowly inch you out of winter into fall, spring and then summer. What you choose to do now will have repercussions not just today or tomorrow, but your life. Choose differently and you get to tell that voice, “I don’t need your sorrys. I have what it takes. I am here and I am more than enough.”