The Secret to Achieving Dreams

A myriad of books, encompassing libraries upon libraries, have been written on the subject of achieving dreams—the dreams of ambition. All of these works, perhaps, highlight truths in their different ways. But so far as achieving what we set out to achieve, to actualise ourselves, there are two central components: purpose and work.

Purpose is our vision; something we can believe in. Work is what takes us there; to the fulfilment of our purpose.

Finding Our Purpose

This is the hardest thing. Many of us search all our lives for our purpose, and, even in midlife, we may not have found it. So, why are we working so hard? Why do we grind ambitiously toward a target we neither yearn for nor fundamentally care about?

So many of us have been sold a ‘work hard’ lie, and our lifestyles have made us beggars, for we have grown to need our extravagances. Perhaps we have missed the purpose. Maybe we skipped past the purpose and got straight into our work. As a result we don’t enjoy life; not as we could.

Finding our purpose sponsors our work.

Finding our purpose gives meaning to our work and underpins all our efforts giving us reason for joy. Getting up early in the morning and finishing late in the evening is a cinch when we have found our purpose. Not that it’s easy; there are still struggles and trials. But when we have purpose, we have the belief and reason enough to get through.

Investing In The Work Of Achievement

Work can be a depressing fact, unless we do it for the outworking of our passion.

Working in our passions seems not like work at all. We harness love in the mode of action and this is called ‘work’. How bizarre to love what we do, and, pertinently so, to achieve what comes—as our reward. It says as if, “And they call this work?”

But first we must find our purpose. With our purpose in stride, work is made easier. We need to be:

Willing – work tests our willingness. Purpose implies willingness.

Organised – work requires us to be organised. Purpose motivates organisation.

Relentless – not that we are to burn ourselves out, but work has about it the nature of persistence. Purpose supports and sustains persistence.

Knowledgeable – work necessitates knowledge, which, for these purposes, should include skills and experiences as well. Purpose compels us to build knowledge to support the skills required, which together, build experience.

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Two things are required to achieve our dreams. First, we must have purpose; something that captures our heart. Second, we must work. Without purpose, work is meaningless. But without work no dreams can be achieved.

© 2012 S. J. Wickham.