There are many ways to pursue a dream. A person may be aiming to make a certain amount of money, win an Olympic Gold or work towards another goal.
Different people follow different routes when working towards achieving their dream. The route that people take can have consequences for themselves and other people.
Some people strain themselves and pay a price on the way in the belief that everything will be perfect when they achieve the dream.
Some people aim to do positive things each day and enjoy the journey on the way to pursuing the dream.
Several years ago I worked with somebody who followed each of these routes and different stages of their career. They explained the routes they had followed – and the consequences – in the following way.
“My life has sometimes involved going to extremes. During the 1990s I joined a giant software company, was in the C-Suite and got lots of shares at $20 a share.
“The shares rose to $35 each and seemed to be on an inevitable upwards rise. I planned to find a way cash these in when they reached $50, which would give me financial security for life.
“At the same time, I neglected my family life. I tried to compensate for this by putting the down payment on a big house close to London. I also got a second property in Devon where we could spend weekends.
“I made a big mistake when attending the company’s annual conference in the USA. I had an affair which led to massive repercussions on my family life. This eventually led to me leaving the family home.
“We still had lots of money on paper but in 2001 the share price tanked to $16 a share. This had implications for the eventual divorce. We managed to find a nice house for my wife and kids but I moved into a flat.”
The person went on to explain how they had started their life again by focusing on the basics. They followed a path similar to addicts participating in a recovery programme.
Whilst still ambitious, they had channelled this into doing their best one day at time. They focused on doing work they enjoyed, encouraging their grown up children and also taking care of their health.
The person said that they now felt more alive – in healthy way – than when aiming for financial independence. Their dream these days was simply to enjoy each day, be a good parent and pass on knowledge they could help others succeed.
They were also working as an advisor to several companies. Providing they did this properly, and acted as a trusted advisor, this was a role that could continue to provide income for many years.
There are many ways to work towards a dream. Much depends, of course on the what constitutes the dream. As mentioned earlier:
Some people strain themselves and pay a price on the way in the belief that everything will be perfect when they achieve the dream.
Some people aim to do positive things each day and enjoy the journey on the way to pursuing the dream.
Imagine that you want to follow the second route in your own way. What may be the goal you want to work towards? How can you do positive things each day on the way to pursuing the dream? If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme.
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