Setting goals and pursuing dreams are activities in which we all engage. Some of us are more successful in the process than others. Often in the face of someone else reaching a milestone, we compare ourselves to them and wonder what makes them more special or blessed than we. Sometimes during this process of comparison, the temptation to give up raises its head. What do you do when you want to give up?
I find that question bothersome at times. Throughout my life, I have faced that temptation often. Dreams and goals tend to die belabored deaths, often dragging beyond the point of reason. I have goals and dreams that simmer on the back burner of my soul, aching to find a place on the front burner of my activity – dreams and goals that refuse to die.Sometimes, I want to give up!
Whenever that temptation surfaces, I go back to a line in a great book I read many years ago. The title of the book is The Aladdin Factor, by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen. If you’ve never read the book, I urge you to do so! In that book, the authors share a four-part formula to better fight the temptation to give up. It goes like this: SW. SW. SW? SW! What does this mean, you ask? Let me share with you my interpretation of this combination of letters:
- Some Will. As we pursue our personal dreams and goals, one of the natural parts of this process is that we share them with others (a pretty scary action at times). This first point is that Some Will always be open to our ideas and may even pitch in to help us realize them.
- Some Won’t. OK, this is a given. There are lots of people who have absolutely no interest in our personal goals or dreams. They let us know in no uncertain terms, either by shooting us down or completely ignoring us. If we are not careful, we allow those reactions to derail our desire to realize our dreams/goals.
- So What? In the end, whether or not another person finds our dreams and goals interesting or worth supporting/promoting really matters little in the larger scheme of things. Why, you ask? Because of the fourth part of the formula.
- Someone’s Waiting! Provided our dreams and goals emerge from a place of personal honor and integrity, there will always be someone waiting to hear our story, contemplate our idea, support our efforts or give feedback – Always! The key is believing that that someone is around the corner . . . waiting.
I don’t have a clue where you find yourself today! I have no way of knowing what dreams and goals you pursue! What I do know is that if you are a pursuer of dreams or goals, you find yourself tempted from time-to-time to throw in the towel and give up! I have been on that slippery slope frequently. I have had to rearrange my dreams and goals – scale them back periodically. I have had to accept that some of them are a bit grandiose. I have had to re-evaluate my expectations. When I engage in this process, my goals and dreams take on a clarity that allows me to judge my pursuit, not on whether they come to fruition in a grand way, but whether I encounter that “Someone who is waiting” for my thought, idea or action.
I have discovered that when I cross paths with those “someones,” something magical happens! The encounter might not result in some earth-shattering outcome for me (becoming a best-selling author; a sought-after international speaker; or media personality). No, that has not been the case. The magic more often than not, lies in the connection I make with another human being pursuing his/her dreams. In those encounters, we find a kinship of pursuit. We enjoy a synergy of thought. We receive validation for our well-being.
All dreams and goals may never result in world-changing outcomes for us or the world around us; however, finding the magic in making a difference in one person’s life, the joy of providing comfort to another or the assurance that our thoughts and ideas do indeed matter can make all pursuits purposeful!
I’m not sure what you do when you want to give up, but next time you do, why not spend a little time pondering SW. SW. SW? SW!
Peace!
I hope you will purchase and read The Aladdin Factor. I think it could make a difference in the way you pursue your dreams! I also hope you will take a few minutes to visit my Amazon Author Page to find out about my books and short fiction! Thanks!
