Pitfalls To Circumvent In The Pursuit Of Your Dreams (Part 2)
It will be recalled that in an earlier post I explored four pitfalls we ought to avoid while we pursue our dreams, goals, and aspirations. I took readers through an enlightening discussion of the pitfalls of self-doubt, fear, distractions, and complacency. I argued that it is essential that we circumvent these pitfalls if we truly want to see our dreams come true. I demonstrated how these pitfalls obstruct our pursuits and how we can appropriately deal with them.
It is also important to recall that I expressly stated that I had a lot more to share on this subject and will do so in my next post. Consequently, I will be sharing in this post three more pitfalls we must of necessity steer clear of in our quest to translate our dreams into realities.
1. Procrastination
Some well-meaning persons never get to the point where they put wheels to their dreams. They are constantly dreaming and yet never bring themselves to actually begin working towards the attainment of those dreams. Such persons keep shifting the goal post. They tell themselves, “tomorrow I will get registered with a gem and begin exercising to keep fit.” Well, that tomorrow never comes. There is no way your dreams can become realities if you fold your hands as it were and keep procrastinating where it comes to actually working your dreams. With such an attitude your dreams will only remain dreams and nothing more.
2. Discouragement
It is very easy to get discouraged when in spite of all your best efforts, your dreams, goals, and aspirations seem to see the light of day. It is as though the closer you get to your dreams, the further away it gets. You put in lots of work over a prolonged period of time but your dreams remain beyond your reach. Well, you feel discouraged and may have all the reasons at this point to give up in the pursuit of your dreams. Admittedly many give up on their dreams at this point and you would neither be the first nor the last. The point, however, is that some persons were so close to achieving their goals (without their knowledge) when they quit principally because they allowed discouragement to set in.
When discouraged, encourage yourself somehow. Surround yourself with optimists; people who believe in you and will encourage you. Read books, watch videos and listen to tapes that will inspire you to reach for higher heights the odds notwithstanding. If your dream is wholesome, noble and worth-while, keep at it. Many dreams that eventually saw the light of day were that of those who refused to quit even though they felt discouraged sometimes.
When discouraged, encourage yourself somehow. Surround yourself with optimists; people who believe in you and will encourage you. Read books, watch videos and listen to tapes that will inspire you to reach for higher heights the odds notwithstanding. If your dream is wholesome, noble and worth-while, keep at it. Many dreams that eventually saw the light of day were that of those who refused to quit even though they felt discouraged sometimes.
3. Obstinacy
Persistence as earlier discussed is vital. However, there are instances where it can become counter-productive and I will show you how. There are times when in spite of all our best efforts, wisdom requires that we give up on certain dreams, goals, and aspirations. As much as we would love to believe that every dream is within our reach, this is sometimes not feasible or may not be the right thing to do. And when it becomes quite obvious that a given dream is unattainable, it will be best to give up on that dream and dream yet another dream; adjust your dream.
The sad reality is that some persons simply never want to give up on their dreams even where it becomes apparent that such dreams are simply unattainable or perhaps not the right thing to do. For instance, Kelvin has been your childhood friend. You dreamt of getting married to Kelvin some day. You did all you could within the confines of morality and decency to get him to take you to the altar. Lo and behold, Kelvin chose to marry Priscilla. In this instance, it will be wise to give up on your dream at this point. You may adjust your dream; dream of marrying a man who may perhaps treat you better than Kelvin would have. The obstinate person will hold fast to her dream of getting married to Kelvin to the point where she would be willing to do anything under the sun to see her dream come true; even if it requires ensuring a marital break-up and in a worst-case scenario, ensuring the murder of Priscilla. This is how deadly obstinacy can be sometimes.
There are a lot more pitfalls to be considered but those are reserved for another day. I hope the thoughts shared thus far have been somewhat helpful. Now, dream big dreams, pursue them, watch out for these pitfalls and flee from them like the plague.
Written by Daniel Dela Dunoo (Freelance writer/editor, blogger, published author)
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