Last week we covered “Believing is Not Enough” and “Color Me Pink” where we talked about how to move forward on your dreams and how to begin to visualize all the details of that dream.
Isn’t basic knowledge of your dream enough to get by? I mean, really, all you need to know is what you want to do or be so why bother with the little things. We can’t predict the future anyway. Won’t they all just fall into place in the end?
No – absolutely not. Knowing the details is incredibly important. You need to be so familiar with what you want and have it defined (and in writing) so that when a “big break” presents itself, you will know whether or not it is an opportunity or a distraction.
Opportunities=Good, Distractions=Bad
Opportunities are good. Distractions are bad. You must know the difference. Creating an intricate blueprint is the key to defining an opportunity or a distraction. Clear as mud?
Let’s look at the following example. If your goal is to be a singer and you get asked to join a band, what should you do? You know you want to be a singer, so joining a band would be good experience, right? You could use that as a platform for making industry connections, plus you get another bullet point on your resume. It all sounds good, but is this an opportunity or a distraction?
It wouldn’t be a tough call if the band presented you with a chance to play your guitar rather than sing. Since your focus is on singing, the choice would then be an obvious “no, thank you.” But in this case, it’s a chance to sing, so should you take it?
Well, let’s look at how you defined the dream. You did do that, didn’t you? Need some help? Ok, let’s narrow your dream down to a few key things. In this example, let’s say you are certain you want to sing. What we need to do is nail down some details. Let’s ask some key questions. For the sake of writer’s cramp I’ll limit the questions to 5, but a more comprehensive list of questions can be found here.
- What styles do you prefer? Opera, Musicals
- Do you like to travel? Prefer to stay close to home
- Where do you want to live? Metropolitan Area
- What are the education requirements? Vocal Training, Music Performance Degree
- What other activities do you enjoy? Acting, Painting
Are You Ready To Rock?
Now, let’s compare the answers to the “opportunity.” The band plays rock so it is definitely not the preferred style of music. Travel is a given here with touring and such, so that would be a negative as well. The band is based in Chicago which would put you in the type of place you would like to live so that looks good. The education requirements are probably the same and since the “opportunity” is on the table, we will assume you already have the music performance degree in your hand. The last question refers to your other interests and doesn’t seem to fit in here, or does it? Acting and painting could be fulfilled in both opera and musical theater, so you could funnel several of your interests into one area. Hmm…the rock band doesn’t look so great now does it?
But what about the experience? While, each “opportunity” should be weighed carefully, keep in mind that going down one path can cause you to miss important signs on another. It may be good experience, but what if passing up the rock gig frees you up to go work at the local theater in your hometown where a guest actress in a summer production takes you under her wing and hooks you up with a manager that helps you land an audition on Broadway? You may laugh and say “that would never happen” but those of you who feel that way are probably out on tour with the rock band.
Write It Down
If you read “Color Me Pink,” you will recall that intense concentration on a thought will cause you to see things you never noticed before. Not only will you start to see them, but they will be brighter and more vivid than ever before. Focusing on your dream will help you to see when an opportunity is truly an opportunity and not a distraction. If you haven’t already, begin to write down details about what you really want. Don’t just write about what you want to do, but also what you want to be. Write about your spouse, your job, your hobbies, your lifestyle. All of these factors are key in filtering out
distractions that may unintentionally lead you away from your dream. Use this list of questions to get you started. Don’t expect to finish this in one sitting. I tend to make minor changes and additions to mine every few months or so.
Once you have really developed your list, review it often. How often? There is no magic formula here. Review it as often as you feel is necessary. Remember, you are training your mind to focus on those things so that you will recognize opportunities that you may have overlooked before or that may be about to show up in your life. The more you review, the sharper you will be at spotting those big breaks. I usually sit down and look at things every week and evaluate where I am at with my goals. It takes some discipline, but the pay off is worth it.
Defining your dream can keep you from going down the wrong road. In order to find the right road, you have to map (or in some cases re-map) your brain to where you are going. Once you have done that, some of the road signs that you were following suddenly look more like “Caution: Slippery When Wet” or “One Way, Do Not Enter”. That may sound
discouraging, but keep driving until you see that billboard that says “Opportunity: Next Exit”. Just be sure to change lanes and slow down so you don’t miss your turn.
Now that you know how to spot a distraction, we’ll talk more about where to look for them and how to dispose of them in the next few blog entries.
