This post is part of the Guest Blog Grand Tour over at Life Without Pants – an epic two-month journey of over 50 guest posts. Want to learn more about Matt Cheuvront & see how far the rabbit hole goes? Subscribe to the Life Without Pants RSS feed & follow him on Twitter to keep in touch!
There’s a lot of talk these days about going everything we can to reach our dreams…wait, where am I?
Yeah, so all that talk about reaching our dreams, throwing a middle finger up to the naysayers, and doing whatever the hell you want – it sounds great, and I’m not here to tell you that you shouldn’t be doing all that.
What a lot of people don’t want to admit is that breaking all the rules and achieving the impossible doesn’t happen overnight – and when we can’t see the end, when our dreams seem too far away, that’s when we lose hope, slow down, and give up.
Take a deep breath and take wisdom in the words of GNR. All we need is just a little patience.
I want to write a book…several actually. I want to start my own business, open a coffee shop, travel the world, the works. I have a list (literally) of things I want to accomplish in my life -those BHAGs (big hairy audacious goals) that loom over the long and windy road ahead of me.
The difference between me and a lot of people is that I’m willing to work, and work hard, to achieve these dreams. I’m patient enough to know that I may have to work at a non-dream job to gain experience, and, you know, make a little money – ‘cause that’s nice too.
The first step is identifying what your dreams are – no matter how ridiculous or far off they seem – if you don’t know what you’re working toward, if there’s no light at the end of the tunnel, you’ll end up wandering around in the dark without a flashlight. And FYI, no dream is ridiculous if YOU believe in it.
The next step is to start doing something about it. If you want to be a writer, start a blog, buy a spiral notebook, head to your local Starbucks and start writing things down.
If you want to start a business – do some research, open a savings account, set a budget, and get to work.
It’s nice to talk about dreams – it’s fine to lay in bed at night wondering “what if” – but things only start happening when you start taking action – and things have a funny way of happening sooner when you set goals to work toward.
And don’t get discouraged – don’t expect things to happen all at once. It’s OK to take things slow – it’s OK to relax and enjoy the ride along the way.
I’ll be the first to tell you that life’s rules are meant to be broken - that you shouldn’t settle for the routine, but don’t get so caught up on the end goal that you forget what life is really all about. Living.
Note from Jen: A big thank you to Matt for visiting us on his Guest Blog Grand Tour. If you haven't already, I would highly recommend a visit to Life Without Pants for a perspective on life less restricted!
Thanks so much for this fantastic post Matt! I love your blog (best name ever!) and it is great to be able to have a slice of that here.
No problem Jen - it was my pleasure. Thank YOU for having me and challenging me to take a new perspective on a topic that we discuss all the time. Hope it will inspire some good discussion!
Nice post and congratulations for your posts marathon.
Oscar
Oscar - freestyle mind´s last blog ..How to Read a Book
Cool post, Matt. I completely agree that clarity is a necessary ingredient in this journey that we all partake in. I've just gotten clear on my dreams, purpose and goals this year and the feedback I've gotten is amazing.
If my purpose will remain the same throughout my whole life, who knows? We'll have to wait and see
.
Henri Junttila´s last blog ..121 Ways to Improve Your Life and Be More Awesome
Thanks Oscar - glad you enjoyed the post!
Great post! Its one of those that makes you want to stop what you are doing and get to work! I love post like these!
Ralph´s last blog ..The Ultimate Guide to Giving and Taking Constructive Criticism
Matt,
Your message is right: Identify your dreams and do something about it...
However, your last sentence adds some confusion to the message: "don’t get so caught up on the end goal that you forget what life is really all about. Living."
This could mean "Focus on your goal, but dont focus too much"?
I invite you to read a recent post on my blog read-y.com called "Knowing your hot button" where I said:
"Each day will not be a sacrifice that we make for pursuing our goals, but it will be a celebration of our highest values, a joyful expression of our ultimate motivation, which at the same time, will move us closer to our goals!"
Oscar - glad you enjoyed Matt's post and thanks for stopping by.
Henri - it is great you have gotten clear on your dreams. Look forward to hearing more about them.
Boris - thanks for stopping by. I found Matt's last sentence very clear, but thank you for your input.
@Ralph, Hey Ralph!
Great to meet you and I am glad you enjoyed Matt's post.
Hey, Matt, thanks for this inspirational post. One of the things I find about following my dreams is that you step right outside the norm and often there's no blueprint for how to live your life. Creating your own map is sometimes scary and sometimes exhilarating, but it's living on that knife edge that, strangely, makes me know I'm alive. I wouldn't have it any other way!
Good luck on your blog post journey. Sounds like a blast!
Christine´s last blog ..The hazards of creating a location independent lifestyle – and how to navigate them
You know what?
People make doing what they want to do WAY HARDER THAN IT ACTUALLY IS.
I completely, completely agree with everything Matt says, but especially with the "things only start happening when you take action."
In case that isn't clear enough, allow me to paraphrase:
GET OFF YOUR BUTT AND DO SOMETHING.
That's it. That's all it takes. Truth be told, you don't need me & The Middle Finger Project, or Matt from Life Without Pants, or Jen from Reach Our Dreams. What you need is you. And you need to put YOU into kick-ass ninja mode. NOW.
P.S.
Now means now.
P.P.S.
Matt Chevront is the man. Nice post!
Ash´s last blog ..Don’t Make Me Say Staycation
@Ralph, Thanks for the comment Ralph - glad you enjoyed the post!
@Christine, Thanks Christine. The Guest Blog Grand Tour is quite the undertaking, but it's been a great opportunity for me to think in new and creative ways, and to be challenged with a variety of topics.
I agree with you - life is about creating your own way - yes, there will be some things you can't control, but ultimately, you are in the drivers seat and have control of where life takes you. Cheers to you, Happy Holidays & Happy New Year!
@Ash, this post was feeling incomplete without a comment from you. I guess Costa Rica has got you a little...preoccupied, eh?
And with that, you are amazing. Seriously. People don't need us, but sometimes a a little nudge from Ash or Matt can give people last little push to get over whatever is holding them back. But at the end of the day - you have to be your own kick-ass ninja
P.S. You're the wo-man! Thanks for stopping by.
Christine - Great comment!
So true, our dreams are unique so the path to them must be too. 
Matt did a great job on this post and I am really pleased to be part of the (truly impressive!) Grand Blog Guest Tour!
Ash - echoing Matt... all posts should have a comment from Ash to top 'em off!
Great comment...I honestly have only realised what you said recently (doh! 
) but the more I go towards what I want, the more it falls into place and exactly as you said, we make things harder than they are! We are a lot more powerful than we often give ourselves credit for! 
Thanks Ash and have an awesome Christmas if I don't catch you before! 
Jen
It's been a crazy first week! I used to live here, so I know a ton of people and have been doing a ton of catch up...it's been fantastic! I also have a friend visiting me here in Costa Rica from Chile, who I met earlier in the year when I was there....so I haven't been as able to be online as much as I'd like....withdrawal!!!!!!!!!!
You're right. We are nudge-givers. I like that. Nudge nudge. Elbow elbow.
Ash´s last blog ..The One Thing That Can (And Will) Mess Up Your Life…If You Let It
That sounds so great Ash!!!! Sending you lots of festive love to sunny Costa Rica!
Keep up the nudging! 
I love how you said that no dream is ridiculous if YOU believe in it. Most people who will try to convince us out of our dream may do so because they don't see the same vision as we do. They may say it's ridiculous, but in actuality we can see the bigger picture than they can.
Thanks for sharing!!
Jarrod@ Optimistic Journey´s last blog ..You Know You’re Favored by God When…