The Power of a Dream

My dream is to become a world-class life coach and thought leader in the personal development space. I want to be contagiously happy, to positively impact the lives of millions of people, and to help others realize their full potential. This is my purpose, my passion, and my reason for being.

It took me years to get clear on this. My heart always knew what it wanted, but my mind was too busy worrying about what other people would think of me. I was scared to tell people what I truly wanted and the thing I dreaded more than anything was becoming that guy.

You know the guy I’m talking about. The one who quits his job, changes his life, and then won’t shut up about his transformation.

Well, I became that guy. And to be honest, it’s been pretty damn great.

Silencing my fear

From the moment I considered coaching as something to build my life around, there was one thought in particular that haunted me.

I’m too young to be a coach.

This insidious assumption was the cynic who sat in the back of the room and made sarcastic comments whenever I was brave enough to tell someone my dream. And as much as I hate to admit it, I let this thought overpower my desires for years.

Another negative force that was holding me back was my fear of what other people would think of me. Coaching is a tricky business model because instead of selling a product, you are selling yourself. This means that you need to have full confidence in who you are and your ability to help people as a person.

The number one concern I hear from new coaches is that they don’t believe in themselves. They assume that everyone will look at their past and say “why would I want coaching from that person?” And while no one wants to work with a coach who doesn’t seem to have their life together, I think we can all forgive the questionable life decisions you may have made in high school or even college.

By being someone who has done the inner work and emerged a new person, we are all ready to help others if we adopt a service-oriented mindset.

“We can find certainty in our desire to help others.” — Sean Smith

Finding support in unexpected places

When I told the world what my dream was, I was terrified.

I expected people to laugh at me (at least behind my back) and to question why I wanted to give up my seemingly perfect corporate life. I was so scared of what people would think of me when I revealed my genuine desires that I braced for a jarring impact.

But that rude awakening never came. And what I discovered instead is that people actually want the best for me. They want to see me light up when I am talking about my dream because passion is contagious. When a person finds what lights their soul on fire, it casts a beautiful glow on everyone around them.

Since telling the world what I truly want, I’ve received more love and support than I ever could have imagined. Even my parents, who listened apprehensively to the “I’m quitting my job again” speech, were (eventually) supportive.

My favorite part about this whole journey, however, has been the texts and Instagram messages that I receive from people who I haven’t talked to in years. There’s no better feeling than hearing that “although we haven’t seen each other since high school, what you are doing is really inspiring me.”

The support often comes from people I would have never expected it from. I once posted a rather vulnerable picture of my “I AM ENOUGH” sign that I have in my bathroom next to the mirror. I was shocked when a gruff cowboy that I used to go to school with replied and said he has the same exact message on a sticky note on his bathroom mirror.

It’s these moments of genuine human connection that make fully revealing myself to the world worth it. The more I am willing to peel back the layers, to show people what truly makes me come alive, the deeper I can connect with those around me.

“The moment that you feel that, just possibly, you’re walking down the street naked, exposing too much of your heart and your mind and what exists on the inside, showing too much of yourself. That’s the moment you may be starting to get it right.” -Neil Gaiman