Pursuing a Dream

So many who know me, know my dream and ideal job is to be able to work in youth ministry at a local church while traveling and speaking to youth… Its taken me a while to muster up the courage to step into the process of making this dream a reality, But thought I’d share how I’m going about it, and things you can also do and keep in mind in pursuing your “dream job”…

1. Pursuing it– How many of us have ideas, dreams, and goals, that we’ve been sitting on for years, some since childhood, but were caught up in life and in some way or another we seemed to never get the chance to pursue them… either finances, time, or money has stopped us or at least that’s what use to excuse our lack of pursuit… many think that I’m crazy for pursuing my dream, I think one is crazy for NOT pursuing their dream… dream being as Jon Acuff puts it, “the thing that if you did not do, it would be killing you…” and for some of you it is… it’s driving you crazy sitting in your boring, mundane, borderline meaningless day to day job… make the time, put aside the money and pursue your dream.

2. Hustle– I’m getting this one from Jon Acuff’s new book “Quitter”. Hustle. If you don’t work hard you won’t meet your goals in life. When playing on the basketball team in high school, it didn’t matter to the coach how much talent one had, what he was looking for was how much hustle we had, did we go the extra mile, go to the gym when we weren’t required too, show up for practice before everyone else, dive for the loose ball, move without the ball (even if we weren’t the ones to score), were we the last ones to leave practice. Though hustle is usually a word used for athletics, it’s expected in all aspects of life, especially in accomplishing and reaching our goals, are you hustling. There are times where you will have to wake up at 6am to do work because you don’t have time during the day. Where you will have to use vacation days to pursue this dream. Etc. Whatever it may be your goals require work, and to be successful you must hustle.

3. Patience– They say, “it takes about ten years to become an overnight success…” understand there are ups and downs in pursuing your dream, in pursuing your goals in life… and that there is no such thing as an “overnight success…” Many people who do decide to follow their dreams, don’t end up completely following through in their dream, a speed bump happens, a negative, or discouragement comes along and completely derails their pursuit… follow through.

4. People– surrounding myself with the right people. Allowing others into my life to help, humbling myself to not just listen, but to hear what they have to say… Maybe your pursuit of this dream isn’t your calling, and you need to hear that.

5. Humility– All of the above take humility. Humility to put down your fear and “what if’s…” and pursue your dream, to not force the issue but to allow it to come in God’s timing and be patient, to let other people in and help guide you, understanding you can’t do this alone, and to open up and let others in on your passion… all of this takes humility.

One important question to ask yourself is, “are you pursuing this dream out of humility?” Scripture says, to do, “nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better then yourselves…” is this a pursuit that is a calling from God to humble yourself before others? Or is this a selfish vain pursuit all for the purpose of strengthening your ego and your name…?

As a Christian my goal is to pursue my call God has on my life, doing what he’s created me to do… getting completely out of the way honoring Him and the gifts that God has given each of us… many can think that its vain and selfish to acknowledge your gifts… I’d argue that it can be selfish at times to ignore you gifts and not pursue what God has created you to do… our greatest hinderance in life can be ourselves… so allow yourself the freedom by putting your ego or whatever it is aside, and pursue your dream more importantly the call that God has on your life…

How are you pursuing your dream job? Would you say the job you have currently is your dream job?