Question for you – are you giving up on your dream too soon?  I was listening to a podcast and this was a question being asked of the audience.  I know that failure only comes when you stop pursuing your dream.

There is a story out in the media about how long bamboo takes to grow.  You can find anything from 3 years to 5 – with all sorts of examples about how long it takes to really grow.  The point they are trying to get across in the story is about not giving up even though you may not see the result you are wanting.  Good story – may not be so accurate, but it did get me to start thinking about why some people give up.  And not so much when, but just flat out quitting.

I talk with people that have difficulty even dreaming – let alone try to make a change.  Why is that?  Why do we stop dreaming?  Remember what it was like when you were in grade school?  The tales we would tell about what we were going to be when we grew up.   

My best friend and I would climb up this one tree, and across the road from us was a house.  An ordinary house – but not to us.  We were going to be veterinarians and fill that house with cats (I am sure it had something to do with the fact her mom wouldn’t let her have a cat, and I had cats 😊 ).  No one was telling us we couldn’t – but the stories we would weave were creative.

So, if you have lost that child-like innocence of knowing that anything was possible – go back and visit your 10-year-old self.  And check in to see if there were any dreams that you left back there that still inspire you.  Bring those back or find your new dream.  Then let’s talk about the growth that comes from the progressive realization towards a worthy goal – that’s where the fun comes in.   

You won’t fail, if you don’t give up.  Maybe you have to come up with a new approach, or maybe you just have to decide that you are going to do this – no matter what.  When you worry about failing – you most certainly will; because what you think about you will create.  Why not think about the possibility of winning.  What does that look like?  What does that feel like? 

Why are we so afraid to fail?  Who decides what that looks like?  Walt Disney failed many times before Disneyland – and the list goes on and on with examples (no need to repeat over and over).   When I work with a client – we are setting a goal WAY outside their comfort zone.  It should scare you, you shouldn’t have any idea how the heck you are going to make it happen – and – you should wake up excited every day when you wake up to work towards your amazing goal.

So – who cares how long a bamboo plant takes to grow?  Not me, and not you – because we have to much dreaming to be working towards.