Cycle Of Achieving A Dream
Our dreams all follow a similar cycle. I am going to pull a lot of this from The Dream Giver by Bruce Wilkinson, but we see the same sentiment across many books about goal setting and achievement. We all have to serve our time somewhere, and the people who excel quickly often do so because they've put in the time somewhere else. It is also beneficial to identify where we are on the journey. When we recognize the complex spaces we find ourselves in as natural pieces of the puzzle, it is easier to manage those moments.
If we can take an objective view of our journey, we can search for the right advice to guide us. We can also find peace in knowing that we are doing the right things and just facing the consequences of a challenging section rather than being on the wrong track entirely.
1. Finding our Dream
We can discover a dream in any number of ways. It can be a slow-building fire within us or something that strikes us like lightning one day. Our dreams can come from anywhere and anyone. All it takes is a little inspiration for us to discover this desire. Often, it feels like puzzle pieces coming together that suddenly make everything make sense. When we discover our dream, we have to decide what to do with it. Do we leave it on the shelf or embrace the journey it requires?
2. Leaving our Comfort Zone
This can be one of the hardest parts of starting our dream because it means leaving behind the familiar for something strange and new. The unknown always carries some level of fear, no matter how excited we are about it. This is also the time when the people around us come to terms with the fact that life is changing. Leaving our comfort zone doesn't only affect us. It touches everyone around us. We can meet some of the most brutal opposition from that aspect because people generally don't like change. And it can be easy to see the thing creating change as the bad guy, even if no one would articulate that chasing your dreams is wrong.
3. The Wasteland
We talked about this space on Wednesday. It is where we must come to terms with our self-induced limitations, whether they are from our work ethic, self-talk, insecurities, or anything else. We have an intense burst of energy breaking out of our comfort zone, but the real work comes in during the wasteland when we have to maintain that work while not seeing very much progress.
4. The Sanctuary
This can best be described as our little break. It's the point when we reach momentum and start seeing real results. Our dream starts to feel more realistic, and we can press on with the knowledge that we are on the right track. This can also be dangerous if we decide to ease back on the gas or decide that this is good enough. That is a personal choice to make, and there are certainly times when it is the right call, but most of the time, quitting in the sanctuary means sacrificing great for good enough.
5. The Giants In the Land
These are the biggest beasts we face on the way to our dreams, usually appearing at the very end. This is the final push we must make on the way to our dreams. But these are absolutely the biggest monsters that we have faced so far, and they will push us to a point where it feels like everything we've worked for is about to fall apart. Keep going because the victory is just around the corner.
6. Fulfillment of the Dream
And then, just like that, it's all over. All the hard work paid off. We get to taste our sweet victory. Everything that we have fought for is finally in our hands. It is a time to celebrate and cherish above all else. Until, one day, we wake up and find ourselves with a new dream, and the cycle starts all over again.
We will always live somewhere in this cycle. Sure, that kind of sucks with the hard parts, but it also means that a beautiful part is right around the corner. Every part of life is like that anyway, so dreams might as well be too. We deal with the highs and lows of the deployment cycle, and at the end of the day, it is all worth it for that first kiss at the end: to know that we did the unimaginable and made it to the other side.
It's important to know this cycle to identify ourselves within it. It won't solve all of our problems, but it will give us more resolve to push through. We can find camaraderie among the people facing the same wasteland or giants that we are. We can find peace in knowing that facing these things means we are on the right track and beautiful things are just around the corner if we keep pressing forward.