How Bad Do You Want It?
That seems to be the magic question in life when it comes to goals and priorities. How bad do you want it? What are you willing to pay for what you want? Are you willing to sacrifice your time, your money, your friends, your family? That one question defines what you are willing to do and ultimately what you are going to achieve.
Here are a portion of the lyrics from the Tim McGraw song of the same title:
People always ask me
“Son what does it take
To reach out and touch your dreams?”
To them I always say
Are you hungry?
Are you thirsty?
Is it a fire that burns you up inside?
How bad do you want it?
How bad do you need it?
Are you eating, sleeping, dreaming
With that one thing on your mind?
How bad do you want it?
How bad do you need it?
Cause if you want it all
You’ve got to lay it all out on the line”
That pretty much sums it up. If you want it all, you have to lay it all on the line. If your passion in life consumes you, then you will find a way to make it happen. It may take hours, days, weeks, months, even years of sustained and focused effort, but it will happen if you don’t give up.
I certainly am not suggesting that you sacrifice your family, your morals, or ethics to chase your dream. What I am suggesting is that you get your family behind you and supporting you…breathing life into you when you haven’t been able to catch your breath. I am suggesting that you surround yourself with people who share your dream…who “get it.” They will encourage you, pray for you, speak life to you when you need it the most. When you are worn out and weary from chasing your dream, you need that.
Chasing your dream is all well and good. Just don’t let it turn into a nightmare. Don’t let chasing your dream destroy your family, friends, or business relationships in the process. If you are stepping on people to get to your dream, I have a suggestion….STOP IT. If you have to destroy the people in your life to fulfill your own dream, then your dream is indeed a nightmare that you need to wake up from.
Keep your relationships intact. Keep them healthy and vibrant. Just keep some balance in the pursuit of your destiny. Balance can be hard to achieve for certain Type A personalities. If you are a Type A, you are a goal driven, achievement oriented, can-do type of person. You may have to pace yourself to keep from burning out and to keep from burning your relationship bridges.
If you have identified what you want to do with your life…with your dreams, my hope is that you fulfill them….but keep the rest of your life together. What good will it do if you reach the top of the mountain and everyone that was with you and supporting you died in the avalanche you created? Take care not to kill your dream by stepping on others. You may also be killing their dreams in the process. I hope you pursue your dream with all your heart…and that you be blessed in what you do. If you bless others in the pursuit of YOUR dream, that is good sign you are on the right track.
Shalom!
Dan Skognes