The nIght Before
In a way, it feels like the night before Christmas. Tomorrow will be a brand new day, and hopefully, the day will include a few gifts I really wanted. All of the holiday stress is behind us as we settle down to fully enjoy the holiday in front of us. Although I guess you could say that before any exciting event. I have the first two events for the new insurance thing I am doing tomorrow. It has been a crazy couple of weeks preparing everything, and today is no different. I have finally crossed the threshold, though, where I am not stressed anymore. I am undoubtedly prepared, but I think that feeling more so comes from the fact that it’s happening tomorrow whether I’m ready or not, so there isn’t time to worry.
This venture has been exciting, and I hope it is everything I’ve thought it would be. Here’s the thing I know about dreams: They take longer than we think, and they cost more than we think, but they are worth it in ways we could not imagine. It took way more time to prepare than I expected. And it definitely cost more than I had planned for. But I am looking at the numbers in front of me and knowing that potential is far beyond what I expected this to yield.
I’ve baited my hook. I’m sitting in the best lake that I know of. Now, I just need to wait for the fish to come, and I hope that I am the right person to meet their needs. And yeah, it may all go sideways. I don’t know what tomorrow will bring. But I am proud of myself for trying, and I will try again. We cannot have a one-and-done mindset when it comes to succeeding in our dreams. We make a commitment to those dreams, and then we live in communion with them for the rest of our lives. My belief in my dreams is not dependent on my ability to produce results on any given day. Believing in them is enough to get through the bad days.
I’m sure we’ve all heard the quote by Erin Hanson, but it bears repeating. “There is freedom waiting for you on the breezes of the sky, and you ask “what if I fall?” Oh my darling, what if you fly?” Nothing in life comes without risk. We take risks every time we walk out our front door. We take a risk every time we kiss our service members goodbye. If we are going to be taking risks anyway, we might as well do it towards our dreams.
I hope tomorrow goes fantastic. I hope the next few weeks are life-changing. But I’ve planted my flag in these dreams and will keep developing my skills and passion until I see the results I’m looking for. Maybe the means will change, but the ends never will. I’ve made my mind up to see this new thing through because all signs point to it being the right way to go. Should it fail, and I try a new path, then I’ll do that, but my destination will always be the same. And in the worst-case scenario, I have still learned a heck of a lot more about who I am and who I want to be. Wish me luck, and I wish you the same! Say yes to the risks in life because those are, more often than not, the paths our dreams set up camp on.