On My Wall
I have a grouping of four quotations on the wall in my office. In my previous posts I discussed these three:
Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself. (George Bernard Shaw)
What would you do if you knew you could not fail? (unknown, also attributed to Minister Robert S. Schuller)
Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right. (Henry Ford)
The gist of the first quote is that few people luckily fall into meaningful work and that reflecting on your values can help you make better, conscious choices. The second quote encourages people to take calculated risks rather than always “playing it safe”. And the third quote emphasizes the importance of believing in yourself and your ability to accomplish far more than you might think.
The Last Quote
In this fourth post in the series, I want to share with you the last quote in my grouping on my wall. It is:
Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined. (a paraphrase of Henry David Thoreau)
If you have (1) evaluated your career choices from the perspective of “meaning” and have identified something worth pursuing, then (2) evaluated the potential risk and reward which led you to seriously consider pursuing your dreams, and then (3) developed sufficient belief in yourself to take serious action, then all that is left is for you to (4) set goals for yourself and take consistent action toward achieving your dreams.
Without action, your dreams simply remain dreams. Self-actualization requires action!
So, we come to the crux of the matter. Do you want the opportunity to achieve your dreams bad enough to pursue them, or not? Only you know.
“Go Confidently in The Direction of Your Dreams”
Which leads me to the last frame of a Garfield comic strip I have on the door to my office. (I am not much of a Garfield fan, but this one got my attention.) Garfield looks at Jon, who is not making progress toward his goal, and spouts out one of his typical comments: “You gotta want it bad enough.”
If you aren’t happy with your current career situation, I hope you can envision something better… something that you want bad enough to motivate you to start taking action today.
I know there is something far better for you than what you have today. Take action. Go confidently. You deserve it!
