The operative word of that quote for me is go. Move, take action, start something. You can always adapt as you go, but you must go.
It’s the week after New Years, and you have a dream. Resolutions fresh in your mind, you’re ready. Let’s face it, anything that’s made it onto your New Years Resolution list is something that you’ve been thinking about, dreaming after, for a while now. It’s big, and it’s important to you. New Years was just the excuse you were looking for to give yourself permission to call it into reality.
Here’s the thing about dreams, plans, goals, resolutions – you have to move to achieve them. You need to start walking towards them, physically and mentally, and if you keep putting one foot in front of the other, you’ll get there.
I’ve heard, over and over again “How do you do it? I could never do that!” Shoot I’ve even told myself that.
The first time I proved myself wrong I was hiking up the rainy and sleet covered rocks of Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia, on the Southern tip of Chile. I did not believe I could make it to the top. I can’t do this, I kept whining to my hiking partner. It seemed too dangerous, to hard, to cold. But I kept putting one foot in front of another, and eventually, I made it to the top. It was scary and hard, but by virtue of not stopping, I made it. Oh, so that’s how it works, I thought. Just keep going.
That’s a very concrete example. I was climbing a mountain, I didn’t stop, I made it to the top. What about other, less obvious settings?
I decided I was going to quit my job and travel around Latin America over a year before I did it. I decided about a year and a half ahead of time that I was going to re-apply for the Amigos program, and stay on in whatever part of Latin America they sent me to. This was 18 months before I eventually left for Paraguay. When I decided, I didn’t know where I was going to be sent, where I would land afterwards, how long I’d be gone, or how I would pay for it. In fact, I’d recently started a new job, so I was unclear how I would leave it in a way that let me go live and travel abroad. All I knew is that I needed to. I craved it with my whole everything. I sensed it was the best possible choice for me, and for my family. So I started telling people. Claiming my dream, and making small choices, 18, 16, 12 months out, to be ready when the opportunity came. I started shifting towards my dream, and walking towards it. The path was totally obscured to me when I started, but by the time I boarded that plane to Paraguay, it was neon bright. Things at my job shifted so it was an easy time to leave, I moved in with family to save money before my trip, I leased my car to my brother so the payments would be handled in my absence. I kept walking, moving, shifting towards my dream, and after a long series of small choices, I found myself living my dream.
“You’re so lucky. I could never do that!” That was the number one piece of feedback I got about my trip. Like it was magic. Like it just happened one day. False. I worked so hard for it. I designed my life to create the space for this trip. I saved my money for a solid year. I was brave and I took some risks. It’s not magic, it was working and walking towards a dream. Trusting the path to reveal itself.
So go. Do something. Take a risk. Aim high. Go in the direction of your dreams, see what shows up.
If you want to power pack your resolutions this year, I’m offering complimentary 30 min resolutions sessions. We’ll get you revved up and committed enough to last all year, instead of the next 3 weeks! Contact me to reserve your spot by Jan 15th.
Not sure what your resolutions even are this year? I’m hosting a Girafa Event in Oakland this January 11th, 6:30-8 $25, designed to get you crystal clear about your intentions and resolutions for 2012. Contact me to reserve your space!
