Pursue Success with Passion and Purpose

A while back I had lunch with a friend and we were discussing how unhappy he was at his job. He doesn’t like his boss and believes the company is mismanaged and the work does not stir his passions any more. He has been in the same industry for many years and worked his way up to a good mid-level management position.

He makes good money and they live a comfortable life. He has done a good job saving money for his family’s future as well. When he started in this industry it was a good job and provided well for him and his family as they started out. But, now he feels unfulfilled and realizes this is not what he really wants to do with the rest of his career.

Does any of this sound familiar?

I asked him what he really wanted to do … what his passion is and if he had no restraints he would pursue with a smile on his face and a kick in his step. He immediately knew what that was. As soon as he started talking about it his face lit up, his voice became clear and he became animated describing it.

So, I asked him what was holding him back from pursuing that path. He started talking about all the reasons he could not do it: he wouldn’t make as much money to start as he does now, he would have to relocate; it would require him to take some college courses to get ready and that would take time and the list went on.

While he was talking he started to realize what he was doing. How he was letting his fears hold him back. What he was doing was making excuses to himself and, letting himself off the hook from following his dream. He knew exactly what he wanted and he knew that his wife and family would support him all the way. Yet, he still was not taking action to move him closer to what he wanted.

We talked about what it would take to get started. You see, it’s not necessary that he achieve the entire goal immediately. What is important is that he knows what he wants, sets out specific goals to get him there and a timeline to make it a reality. Then it is about taking the first step. Just knowing that he was working toward the goal would have made such a big difference to his mental state and allowed him to have focus and hope.

Deciding what you truly want from life and then not pursing it because of your fears, is a sure way to become frustrated and to keep you from getting all you want from your life. My friend has been going through the motions in his career for the past several years because he feels he needs to – not because he wants to. That is changing now. He has made a commitment to start taking the classes he needs and developing the rest of his plan for his definition of success.

It is time for you to do the same thing. If the definition of success you wrote out really does stir your passions and speak to your heart, then you need to ask yourself, “What is holding me back and why?” Realizing what is holding you back is a major step you need to take in your journey. You can’t begin a journey to get what you really want if you let your fears get in the way.

Take the time right now to analyze your success definition and decide what is getting in your way. Talk to someone you trust about your dream and work out what it will take for you to get it. This will allow you to begin to identify your goals and build the plan to finally get what your heart desires. Don’t let anything get in the way!