When I was a kid I dreamt all of the time about becoming a professional basketball player and owning a car so I could drive anywhere I wanted. I craved independence and a life filled with adventure.
As I got older, I stopped dreaming. This made it difficult to see what was possible for my life beyond what I knew. I was all about doing what was easy and predictable. I wanted to be comfortable. I would spend most of my time playing video games and watching television. When I wasn’t doing that, I was hanging with my girlfriend and barhopping at night.
Eventually though, I learned that there was more to life than simply doing what was easy and predictable. It became clear to me that with hard work and focus I could create new opportunities for myself. This was when I had my first “real” job at twenty-five.
I was working in a manufacturing plant assembling parts for a German automaker. My supervisor saw that I had potential to do more than I was doing and he wanted to develop me. The only problem is that I struggled to make it to work on time. I was notoriously five to ten minutes late, and I would call out sick at least once a month. After noticing this pattern, he pulled me aside and told me that my career was in my own hands. It was a reality check and it was also empowering to know that I could control my future.
I responded by regularly arriving to work 30 minutes early. I wanted to be known as someone who was dependable. This simple change in habit helped me to take on new opportunities and turn my job into a career.
Are you happy with your current circumstances? It’s understandable if the answer is no. My challenge for you is to start dreaming. It’s in the dreaming that we begin to ignite our curiosity about what’s possible. And when we see what’s possible, we can figure out how to take action.
