There wasn’t a day when I didn’t doubt myself. I looked in the mirror and saw a fool. I had no idea what I was doing.
I might not have expressed this often, but I feared being laughed at. Being pointed out as the clumsy beginner. And then, regretting because of my failures.
Hopefully, I’ve moved beyond the point when I could’ve given up. It’s not the same anymore.
Not that I don’t feel vulnerable anymore. I do. I know what I had been through, so some feelings still remain.
I didn’t talk about my work at first. I couldn’t. Because I had nothing to talk about. I was just ordinary … and I was merely struggling.
Now, I breathe.
I work for what I love doing.
Now that some time has passed, when I find people living in fear who don’t take their first step, it sort of hurts me.
I wish I could tell them this – “follow your dreams. It’s going to be worth it.”
It has been weeks. “I’ll sleep early,” I say to myself. I don’t. Sometimes you fall in love with the hustle and learning. #life
— Vishal Ostwal (@vishalostwal9) June 18, 2017
It’s dreadful
To dream in a world where everyone’s spectacular and you’re just ordinary, is hard.
Initially, I started writing for myself. Yet, I felt like giving up.
Every. Single. Time.
Not that I didn’t want to write – it’s something I cherish doing.
What held me back was a different reason.
I couldn’t stand being judged. My insecurities gave me chills. I knew people would notice me someday … and that was scary.
All of us go through the same, regardless of what we do and how different our work is.
The fact is, if you’ve got a dream, it’s really hard to escape that initial resistance and make an attempt to finally start. Even if you start, you’ll still keep questioning your work for a long time.
And it’s downright foolish
Writing made no sense. I wasn’t getting paid then – so maybe, I was being plainly vague and useless.
All people I know, either artists or entrepreneurs or students or others, find it hard to trust themselves in the beginning.
Though they’re courageous, they don’t know what the future holds for them.
So it seems downright foolish to them to work hard for their dreams. They can’t stop ruminating their actions.
It takes time to move beyond that stage. The trust builds up slowly.
But by the time you reach that point when you feel confident, you may have a hard time believing in what you do.
The helplessness
People are controlled by their doubts and fears.
They’re tied to some imaginary strings. And they’ve become so comfortable staying trapped that they don’t even try to set themselves free.
I’ve seen it happen around me.
“I wish …”
“I want to …”
“I’m thinking of doing …”
I hear so many people utter these sentences. Then, I don’t get to listen again from them.
They forget about their dreams. They don’t mention them again. They give up.
No, they don’t announce or talk about it. They simply believe that they cannot do something.
And they give up.
Why people quit
I could’ve quit the moment I had started, so I can tell something about why some aspiring people quit.
They think it’s not worth it.
Working for something that’s uncertain takes sacrifices, time, dedication and all sort of things people talk about.
But there’s one downside to this – you don’t know what the outcomes might be.
This makes people wonder.
“Why am I doing this, after all?”
“Why should I do this if I’m not getting paid?”
“What’s the point of doing it if my success isn’t assured?”
They begin thinking logically. They lose their faith. They quit.
“At least, I’m not wasting their time being foolish and daydreaming,” they think.
They’re wrong.
So if you’re questioning yourself, or maybe asking yourself “Am I wasting my life for a useless dream?” then I want tell you simple thing – don’t doubt yourself.
Fly.
Follow you dream.
I can’t say whether you’ll touch the skies, but at least you’ll know what you can do. The journey to pursuing something surely makes life beautiful. I suggest you take that road.
You’re not wasting your life for a useless dream
No, you aren’t.
If you doubt what I’m saying, then think for yourself.
I may be wrong. I’m not flawless. I’m only saying this because what I’ve done has been worth it. I have some reasons to defend that belief.
Why following your dream is worth it
I had to realize this myself.
Even if a hundred people had convinced me I could something, my doubts wouldn’t have vanished. I would’ve still remained restless.
That’s a normal feeling. It never goes away.
Sometimes, you need to trust your dream even before you see a dim ray of hope. You need to trust your gut and let it take you to where you belong.
I don’t have big things to say today.
No, I’m not going to tell some secret to becoming the biggest success.
Just some simple things about why pursuing your dreams is worth it, and to remind you why what you’re doing matters.
Why you’re not wasting your life by working on your dream
If you ever feel doubtful about what you’re doing, then remember that it’s a common feeling among all of us.
Here are some reasons which show you’re not wasting your life by working on your dreams.
1. You love what you do
How many people do you come across who say they’re grateful for what they do? How many say they’ve found their life’s purpose?
Most people around you are working because they need to. They complain about their job. They curse their chores.
They behave like slaves, although they’re the ones who have made a choice for themselves.
They’re lost. They don’t know what they want.
Amid all this, if you know what you love doing, and you’re doing it, then you’re a lucky one.
Not everybody is blessed enough to gain a clarity so soon. If you’ve found your passion and have dreamed about something, then keep marching.
I see no point in giving up what makes one happy. If something makes me happy, I’d do it.
2. You work hard
You don’t have much to lose.
Sure, there will be some sacrifices, sleepless nights, and frustration. But at least you’ll know how better you can get.
People get better when they who work hard and persist. If you’re working hard at something, you’ll improve.
And then, you’ll grow … even if slowly. But you will. It happens to everyone.
So if there’s a best way to check whether you can make it, then put in some work and persistence.
See what happens.
You won’t know whether you’ll succeed, or fail. Not unless you give what it takes.
3. You take little steps
If so, you’re already ahead of the crowd.
The fact is, a majority of people are lost and don’t know what they should do.
As for the ones who are clear about their passions and dreams, well, most of them still don’t start.
So if you’re someone who had the courage to start and began taking little steps, then it might be worthwhile for you to keep going.
If you think you’ve done a useless job and wasted your time by following your dream, think again.
You might be close to lots of opportunities and not even know it. Find a way to cling to your life’s purpose.
4. You progress and give your best
What can be more satisfying?
You work hard. You grow. You give your best. Finally, you learn your lessons.
Should continue, or give up, or find something else to do? Everything becomes clear once you gather some experiences.
If you’ve been working since a long time and have seen a rise, you know that circumstances improve.
The rest of it is up to you. You can push harder, or quit.
Whatever you do, make sure you’re doing it because you want, not because the circumstances are forcing you to.
Hold on.
5. You feel like yourself
The world is an unpredictable place. Sometimes, crazy.
It changes you. It turns you into someone you didn’t want to become. It sort of controls you.
You work for others, depend on people, hunt for reasons to be happy … and then, you grow up. You become one of those serious people you grew up watching.
When you follow your dreams, you can remain a child.
You can preserve that part of yours which doesn’t care about the world.
In the moments when you’re working on your dreams, you’re not a slave of the world.
Those bits of your life belong to you. You do what you feel like doing. And you do it.
That’s happiness.
6. You become someone
You hustle, fail, and rise.
In short, you deal with a lot of mess and glitter.
Though, in the end, it’s less about what you gain from your dreams and more about what they turn you into.
Dreams change you. Once you pursue journey to somewhere, you transform.
Having a dream and working on it, sometimes, is enough to teach you the lessons you need to know about life.
So tell me, do you think following dreams is a waste of time? Leave a comment.
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