A few years ago, I was unbelievably jealous of a co-worker/classmate friend.  She was highlighted in for her amazing writing talent in our master’s class and I wanted to be able to write like her.  Sure, I knew I had the talent, but I didn’t feel like I could do it for many reasons.  I was too busy, I’d never done anything like that before and I was comfortable with my excuses.

And then I realized, the only thing stopping me was myself.  I could do this. I was wired to make a difference.

Move Beyond Survival Mode.

I meet so many people who are just trying to get through the day, the week, their lives.  They seem overwhelmed, tired and disconnected.  I’ve been there, many times, in fact.  I’ve noticed it begins to happen when I start to shove my dreams to the side because I have important things that need my focus.  I’ve learned the best way to move beyond survival mode is to give myself time for the things I love.  I wake up an hour early to go running every morning.  I watch movies with my kids while I’m writing my blog posts.  I do my exercise classes during my lunch breaks at work.  I stay late or carve out time on the weekends to finish my graphic design projects. It isn’t easy to balance everything, but I make it work because I want to spend time on the things I enjoy.  How can you move beyond survival mode? Do it. Start today.

You Have Always Been A Success.

I spent years trying to I’m trying to make something out of myself.  I was so desperate for people to notice my talent that I wasn’t sure what to do next.  And then I had a mentor appreciate my work and continue to push me to realize my potential.  And I realized that I’d always had the talent to do the things I loved, I just needed the confidence to realize it.  Did you know that you’ve always been a success? Yep, you’ve got talents that I don’t have, and I need your help.  I need you to share your talents with others – because that is going to make everything better and you’re the one to make it happen.

Your Life & Passions Have Significance. 

You begin to move into significance when you realize your gifts and talents make you part of something bigger than yourself.  I started volunteering for groups to help with organization, innovation, public relations and graphic design because these are all things I love doing and help me feel more alive.  But I realized that the more I got involved, the more I realized that in doing what I loved, I was helping others to realize their potential.  And that really meant something.

You have to live your dream in order to discover what your dream means.

You may not be able to jump right in to your dream-realization moments, but you can start building a plan to get where you want to be. That night in class taught me something.  It reminded me that a dream is always worth the investment.  You’ll have to devote your time, your energy and your resources to make it happen – but you’ll soon realize that it will make you feel alive – and the world needs people who have come alive.

Did you know that most dreams start of self-centered?  Totally fine. Not everyone is going to live your dreams or even understand them.  But they’re yours and you need to protect and grow them.  You can do something significant – turns out, you already are.