Last updated on December 28th, 2019 at 12:24 am
I have always wondered if there is any validity to that idea that to find your big dream, you have to stop looking for it so that it can find you magically, quietly and without a lot of fanfare.
I have had conversations with people about finding and following a big dream.
They describe to me their process of searching and delineating, segregating, and finally narrowing down exactly what it is that they are passionate about–only to end our conversation with,
“I have no idea what I want. Maybe I’m just not cut out for dreaming big.”
That’s crazy.
In the popular e-book “What Matters” by a musician, producer, circus performer, entrepreneur, TED speaker, and book publisher, Derek Sivers, writes the following:
It’s dangerous to think in terms of passion and purpose because they sound like such enormous, overwhelming ideas. If you believe you haven’t found your passion yet, you’re probably expecting it to be overwhelming.
Instead, notice what excites you and what scares you on a small, moment-to-moment level. You grow and thrive by doing what excites you and what scares you every day, not by trying to find your passion.
It’s not essential to “find” your dream before you start dreaming big.
My spin on his way of thinking is:
If you love photography, it doesn’t matter what kind of equipment you have or don’t have. Just start shooting.
If you love writing, it doesn’t matter if others have written before you about topics you want to write about. Just start writing.
If you love traveling, it doesn’t matter where you go or how long you stay, or even if it’s simply visiting a park in your backyard. Just start traveling.
Pay attention to the things that matter to you. What keeps you up at night? Notice what gets your heart racing. What makes you smile? What brings you joy? What are you drawn toward, but are too scared to try? If you start there, you are headed in the right direction.
Start by calling yourself a “big dreamer” when you look in the bathroom mirror–even if you don’t know what is your big dream.
Stop desperately searching for your calling and relax into it because your big dream will find you. It wants you as much as you are searching for it.
Remy Gervais
Remy Gervais is an EMyth Coach Trainer and Development Manager who spends her free time living her photography dream in the San Francisco Bay area.
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