Whose Dream Are You Chasing?

Let me tell you about the time when my friend had absolutely no clue what his dreams and goals were.

We were about to eat a late lunch, and somehow we got off on the topic of entrepreneurship. Now, he works for a not-so-trustworthy MLM company with lawsuits piled high to the ceiling. A few minutes into our conversation, I asked him a question.

“What is your dream job?”

“What?” he asked, clearly not hearing me. Sometimes I talk too fast.

Enunciating, I said, “What is the one thing you could do all day every day and never tire of? Ya know, a dream job.”

“Oh, I gotchya.” Eureka! He had heard me. “I want to be my own boss.”

Confused, I cocked an eyebrow. Let me try this again, I thought. “That’s not what I asked. I asked you what your dream job is. Anyone can be his own boss, and still loathe his job. If you owned a construction company and were the big wig, would you love your job?”

“Well, no. I don’t know a thing about construction.”

“Right, because that’s not your passion. So then being your own boss isn’t really your dream job. What is then?”

He was so overwhelmed by a question that most entrepreneurs could probably answer without even blinking, that he replied, “I don’t know. I’ve never thought about it.”

There are people out there who don’t know what dream they want to chase. There are people who are working their butts off to make someone else’s dream come true. There are people who have never been asked, What’s your passion?

After a few moments, he said, “I’ve always loved art. Like, sketching portraits.”

“Oh yeah?” I asked. “For how long?”

“Always,” he replied. “I’ve always loved it.”

And you could see the wheels turning for a split second. You could see the glimmer of “Could I really succeed at this?” shine in his eyes.

But I haven’t seen it come back yet. He’s still working for an MLM that will never fulfill his void—his love for art, what he was designed to do. I’m not here to harp on MLMs — I’m telling you that that particular job is not what he was created to do, and deep down, he knows it.

So why is he still working for a pyramid scheme (yes, that’s what this particular MLM is) who pays him zilch instead of chasing after his dream of art?

Because it’s easier to latch onto the get-rich-quick scheme and all its broken promises. It’s easier to work for someone else instead of launching your dream business. It’s easier to believe the lie that you’re your own boss for . . . a shady MLM company with dozen of bosses above you for a company you don’t even own? It’s easier to just sit down and exist rather than to work your tail off 24/7 to make your dream a reality.

If you know someone like this, keep encouraging him or her. Don’t give up. Help that person find that glimmer of “I know I can do this.”

An expert editor, seasoned writer, and author-centric coach, Shayla Eaton works one-on-one with self-published authors, having edited over two hundred books. She is the owner of Curiouser Editing, where she offers top-notch publishing guidance for authors and their books.

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