Make your dreams work harder than your excuses do.
This is a phrase that’s been relentlessly swimming around my mind lately. I’m not sure where I picked it up; if it’s an amalgamation of all those inspirational quotes scattered across social media or (if I feel like giving myself a little too much credit) I’ve just made it up. Either way, it’s been hanging around pretty persistently.
I’ve been surprising myself with this blogging experiment, with the fact that I’m slowly, steadily, realising a long-held dream - one that I had long abandoned.
It couldn’t have come at a better time. Well, of course, earlier would have been nice. But what I mean is, I’ve been fumbling through a period tinged with uncertainty, unclear on whether I’d really achieved much of what I’d set out to (the answer was an unsatisfying yes-and-no). And, as it turns out, a nightly escape to this blog was just what I needed: catharsis to bear the mess and the muddle, and a path to get out of said mess and muddle.
The more I chase this blogging dream, the more tangible it becomes, the more potential it shows. And this is simply because I’ve actually started to pursue the dream, rather than just think about it.
It’s not - and never - too late to change lanes, to choose action over inaction, to follow the path that actually leads to the realisation of our dreams. So, why don’t we do it? Why do we delay it?
Why do we so often dream, only to end up just settling for mediocrity - light-years away from that dream?
My answer? Excuses. The excuses we give ourselves every day. The ones that set up shop on our path to achieving dreams, obstructing all possible routes forward.
What do these excuses look like? Here’s a taster platter of the excuses I parroted before I started blogging - and the antidote I found most useful in quashing them.
Excuse #1: I’m not good enough to pursue this.
My writing could be better, more refined, more engaging. I’m not sure I’m capable of creating meaningful content. Besides, the market is already saturated with far ‘superior’ bloggers - in comparison, my writing might pale (and fail).
Antidote: Do it anyway.
Excuse #2: I don’t have the time or energy to pursue this.
With hectic, chaotic days, packed tight with endless activity and cognitive intensity, I simply won’t have the energy to publish weekly posts - or to tinker with web design - early in the morning, late at night, and on weekends.
Antidote: Do it anyway. (Turns out, I’ve written some of my best pieces at the end of a long, draining day of work).
Excuse #3: Pursuing this will probably not go anywhere, anyway.
I know I have the niggling feeling that this dream is one worth chasing, but I’m not sure if there’s much point. What if it isn’t even successful, after all that hard work and those sacrifices?
Antidote: Do it anyway.
Do it anyway.
When you choose to defy the lies you tell yourself and to instead do it anyway, I’m certain that you’ll watch your dream quietly manifest itself in real, tangible results.
My simple antidote of choice has, undoubtedly, transformed the way I approach my dreams. Granted, I’m still far from coaxing them into realisation, but I’ve finally proven to myself (and to you, reader) that once we stop succumbing to our excuses, we can effect real change - not just fantasise about it.
So, change those thoughts of ‘can I do this?’ to ‘how can I do this?’, and watch a realm of possibilities open up for you.
Letting go of the excuses that constrain you and - finally - getting started is a crucial first move. You’re acknowledging that, no matter what, this thing is a thing worth pursuing. But now, equally crucially, it’s time to make sure that this hard-earned momentum doesn’t slip away.
Late nights. Sacrifices. Willpower. Bracing for the long-haul. We all know that this is a rite of passage for anyone who wants to achieve their wildest dreams. We are familiar with the tools needed to propel us forward, and we know that this propulsion will be slow.
This blog - this little dream of mine - is still in its nascent stages, trying to find its place in the world. I know the road ahead is tricky, pot-holed, long. What’s driving the blog forward, is passion. But what will sustain it, set it up for the long-term? No doubt about it: consistent, dedicated, work - no matter how negligible the results.
To achieve a dream, your passionate heart will need a disciplined mind - the two will work in tandem.
So, for now, you’ll find me sipping on a bittersweet cocktail of perseverance and patience. And I’ve discovered a (perhaps unconventional) practice that rescues me from those motivation slumps: trawling through the archives of successful creators, contemplating their very first pieces of work. Being in this space, amidst the tiny view counts, the sparse comments, reminds me that it (typically) takes years of grit to produce work that garners a large and loyal following.
Your dream can be as wild as you’d like. But, once you’ve started, it’s important that you keep plugging away at it - just as those before you have done. Founder of Nike, Phil Knight, has one of the most powerful yet pragmatic pieces of advice I’ve come across on the topic:
“Just keep going. Don’t stop. Don’t even think about stopping until you get there, and don’t give much thought to where “there” is. Whatever comes, just don’t stop.'“
I know that, if I want to see this dream through, I’ll have to follow this advice. Because I know that the alternative - subjecting myself to the confines of mediocrity and the realm of ‘what if’ - is one that I can no longer accept.
For the first time in a while, I don’t feel like I’m just trundling along, letting the quotidian get the better of me. I no longer allow the days to finish me. Instead, I finish them - purposefully, productively. Finally, I’m (ever-so-slowly) inching closer to achieving my goals for this blog.
If I’d chosen to believe the lies I was telling myself, I’d be exactly where I was 4 months ago - blog-less, and dream-full. An idea will remain an idea if no attempts are made to bring it to life.
So, pair your passion with perseverance, and defy your excuses.
Do it anyway.
Until next time,
S
Cover image captured in the Perhentian Islands, Malaysia.
