A few years ago, an author/influencer I follow was coming out with a new book. It would be her fourth or fifth one—yet the first of its kind. She had HIGH hopes for this book. She even told her followers that her dream was for it to make the New York Times Best Seller List. Only, when it released,
Her book didn’t make it.
She was crushed. And, as she had told all of her followers about her dream, she also had to tell them it didn’t come true. It’s almost like being a kid and telling your friends you’re going to get something for Christmas. Then not getting it and having to go to school the next week without it. Except, she had to tell tens of thousands of people.
Saying what we want out loud is scary.
Telling our friends and loved ones we’re finally going to go after our big goal or dream is hard. Mostly because a small voice inside of us asks,
“What will I do if I don’t make it?”
Or, “What will I tell everyone?”
Even on a small scale, failure is terrifying. Having to admit our failure to our loved ones or peers, is worse. But there is one thing that should scare us even more:
Regret.
Right now, it may not seem so bad because it isn’t a foregone conclusion. For many of us our big goals and dreams are still possible. So the threat of Regret feels a little like Global Warming. There are hints of it, but it hasn’t fully changed our lives yet. In the same way, because there’s still time to make our dreams a reality, we’re not worried about them becoming regrets.
The threat of Regret feels a little like Global Warming. There are hints of it, but it hasn’t fully changed our lives yet.
Only, the fear of failure keeps many of us from taking a chance. It feels safer and perfectly ok to say we’ll get to it “next year,” or “when the timing is right.” But what if our time is now, and we’re missing it?
There is this famous quote by Norman Vincent Peale. He said: “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” I’ve always loved this because there is this sense that going after our goals and dreams is about more than attaining something. Often, it is about what we will learn and who we will become on the journey.
What if our time is now, and we’re missing it?
I would guess most of us have big dreams or desires for our lives. It just doesn’t always feel very “adult” to say them out loud. But what if talking about our dreams and putting ourselves out there, is the scary step we need to take? What if it’s the only way to begin the important journey of going after our dreams?
In 2020, it’s very possible that the dreams we are longing for may not happen. But they definitely won’t happen, if we don’t try. And what if, the work we put in this year, means they will happen in 2021? Or even 2025? Wouldn’t you be glad you put the work in now?
What makes you afraid to say your dreams out loud?
What goals are worth going after—even if they aren’t realized this year?
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