This quote from comedian and actress, Carol Burnett, struck a chord with me, "When you have a dream, you've got to grab it and never let go." Yet dreams are a tricky thing because they are mixed in with our To Do lists and daily activities.
Gandharv Walia, from The Economic Times*, when referring to Burnett's quote said, "The line focuses on what people do after they identify something they want to achieve. A dream can remain only an idea if a person does not act on it." The issue of a dream needing commitment and action is reinforced by Burnett's quote.
And, while pursuing a dream takes effort and focus, Walia continued, "The message also asks people to listen to their inner voice and recognize the goals that matter to them. It suggests that failure and difficult periods should not automatically become reasons to abandon a dream."
Try This: Hold Your Dream Every Day
Every day gives us a chance to take another step, figure out another goal, and dream a little bigger. So, take Burnett's advice and grab it:
- First, recognize what matters. Take a moment to write down your vision of the dream.
- Second, simply act. Figure out just one step each day from to take toward your dream.
- Third, practice resilience. The dream will take time, so don't get derailed when something doesn’t go well.
- Fourth, never give up because of fear or doubt. It’s merely your ego trying to protect you but ignore the worry and keep moving forward.
- Finally, celebrate milestones. As you take each step toward your dream, reinforce your motivation with claps, dances, or other actions to cheer yourself on!
The other thing is that Burnett said to “never let it go.” To me, that is the best advice for staying the course and not letting your dream fall away due to “issues” or setbacks.
* Gandharv Walia article in The Economic Times with Carol Burnett's quote(opens in new tab)