Play Hard, Work Smart. Are you living your dreams? If not, what is stopping you?

Are you living your dreams? If not, what is stopping you?

How to face your fears and chase your dreams.

The thrill of walking the tightrope.

Life is like walking a tightrope, on the one side feeling excitement, confidence and that anything is possible. On the other fear, doubt and uncertainty about the future.  We are all trying to figure out how to walk this fine line, how to cope, how to make the most of our opportunities while avoiding the traps along the way.

You may feel like you are the only one in the world struggling. Perhaps you don’t bounce out of bed excited for a new day; maybe you are scared to leave the house in the morning. You are not alone. We all feel the same fear, uncertainty and doubt, we all feel lost and alone at some point in our lives.

Great you say, we’re all struggling, how does that help me?

Well, it could be comforting to know that you have more control than you may think over your own struggles. You control whether you see the world as a frightening, intimidating place, or a wonderful, exciting, beautiful backdrop to your life. Just think of all the amazing things you can achieve if you can just take that first step and change your perspective on life.

Looking back, I often followed the dreams of others, and not my own. I went to school, earned a degree, fell into a job and worked long hours. I had my own businesses, large houses, cars, and all the trappings of success, but it was not enough - despite the trappings of success, I had never truly followed my heart.

What do you stand for? What do you care about? What are your dreams? What are the skills and resources you need to follow your own path? Taking the time to focus these questions, to re-evaluate your core beliefs, your perceptions, and how these will help you shape your future self, these form the foundations of your future success - success based on your terms.

It’s just like climbing a mountain.

Chasing your dreams is like preparing for a mountain expedition. The preparation, research, training, acquiring new skills, planning your route, raising money, staying fit and healthy, are all required before you set foot on the mountain. In the same way, before you can attain your ‘dream job’, you must prepare, acquiring the skills and experiences to equip you for the day you reach the top of your Dream Mountain.

If you haven’t travelled under your own steam yet, think about the skills and tools you will need for your future success. This may feel scary at first, but this is YOUR life and YOUR journey. It may feel at times that the world is against you, but there are so many people who want you to succeed. Stop seeing the obstacles, and start seeing the opportunities.

There is a place for you out there, and your fresh eyes and energy are what you need to get started, but you need to get yourself out there on the right path, and with the right mindset, the ‘work ready mindset, to make it happen. It is easy to foster self-doubt. If you’ve hit roadblocks in your life, you may have lost some of your confidence. Or perhaps you’re not thrilled with what you’re doing right now, but it’s comfortable and hard to leave. Whatever your current circumstances, it is your choice what you do now, in this moment, to start taking you forward, to find a new direction of travel.

Your map and compass.

As with any mountain expedition, you will need a map and a compass to guide you on your way. The map I used was the same one that my parents generation had used, and it didn’t entirely fit with my dreams.

Don’t get derailed by buying a faster car or a bigger house because that is what your mates are doing. There is nothing wrong with these things, but get distracted from your dreams too soon, and you risk getting derailed from the main event, your dream job. Your decision-making starts to become focused on short term income over long term success, and you may not reach the mountain top.

Instead, take the opportunity to think more deeply about what you want to achieve, where you want your map to take you. The journey should excite you, fulfil you and have a positive impact on the world - don’t settle for second best.

Then, there is your compass. We are drilled to control our emotions, to be a ‘grown up’, and in doing so we can lose touch with one of our key tools, our intuition or ‘gut feel’. The concept is simple – if you are genuinely pursuing your dreams, and you understand and true to your values, your emotional reaction to day to day decisions can help to guide you along the way.

Why does it matter?

When I lost my father, my marriage and a business all within a year, I thought I had lost everything. When I looked back I realized how little the material things meant to me. As I dusted myself off and started to rebuild aspects of my life, I found opportunities in abundance, and a new found love for what I was doing and the impact I could make. Now, I surge out of bed in the morning, ready to pursue my dreams, which are focused on helping people like you.

My aim in writing this is to help you focus on what you are doing, where you are going, and why - to encourage you to revisit your core beliefs and dare to chase your dreams. You may be distracted by naysayers who want you to follow their path, but once you know what you truly want to achieve, there will be no stopping you. Block out the naysayers. Tune out your fears that would convince you to give up, play safe, or withdraw down the mountain. Take a deep breath and stay on course – planting the flag at the top of your dream mountain will be completely worth it.

I’m ready. Are you?

Colin Aurelius is an author, entrepreneur and strategic adviser who has worked with a broad range of start-ups, early stage businesses and international giants over a 20 year period.

Colin works with school leavers, graduates and aspiring entrepreneurs to develop business leaders looking to build profitable businesses which have a positive impact on the world. Colin has worked with Henley Business School on entrepreneurial development programmes, and more recently with the Oxford Said Business School in areas including Fintech, Blockchain and Disruptive Marketing.