ISSUES #22: MAY 2016
A LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
OCTOBER 2015
ACTIONS
TRUMP
DREAMS
“Nothing comes to sleepers but a dream..” the GAP Band
There is nothing like having a dream; of seeing yourself in a role you’re excited about. A job, relationship, car or school that you just KNOW is a perfect fit for you and that you would be great at. It’s cool, at 13 years old, to picture yourself in music videos or catching the game winning touchdown pass or buying your mom her dream house. People visualize themselves owning their own businesses or traveling the world and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. In fact, they SHOULD.
Thing is, dreaming and visualizing require imagination but don’t take any effort. Dreams are good. Visualizing is proven to be a great way of reinforcing your success before you take on a task. Dreams fall short when no action is taken to get you where you want to be. Readers are probably going “Duh! Of course actions are required” but you’d be surprised how many of us arrive at age 35 or 40 and realize that we didn’t execute a plan to get where we wanted to go. All of that "I'm about to.." or "As soon as I finish this other thing.." becomes "Damn, I shoulda.."
Actions trump dreams.
You ever listen to the radio or go to a live music performance and the artist is just so so? You wonder “How the hell did THIS person ever get a record out when I know singers that are 20 times better???” It’s possible that the performer supplemented less talent with a killer work ethic. Maybe they got up early every single day working on their craft. Perhaps they not only envisioned where they wanted to be one day but envisioned what they wanted to accomplish in the first year, or the second year, or researched the players within their industry and made it their business to measure their progress.
What’s your dream? Where do you see yourself in two years? How do you plan to get there? Write it down. Make a chronological timeline. Bear in mind that answers like “I’m gonna work hard” are just filler responses. Work hard at what, exactly? Have a plan to execute. Actions trump dreams. Make a plan to accomplish a few steps toward your goal. Take a class, read up on your craft, find peers that are in your field of interest and pick their brains. Don't talk about it, be about it.
Actions mean commitment. When you are willing to get up off the couch and make moves, your mentality also evolves. Taking that first step can be a hurdle but once you’ve embraced taking action you can build momentum. Hopefully a snowball effect. You can do it. It doesn’t have to be overnight but shoot for small successes. Victory in increments.
Lastly, DO NOT LET PITFALLS DISCOURAGE YOU!! Plan for them too. Well… I mean, don’t let a setback make you rethink your direction or your overall goal. If success was easy to obtain EVERYBODY would be winning. That's simply not the case. Let perseverance, determination, focus AND skill be your bridge when things get a little tough. OR a lot tough.
Go fast. Go slow. Just don’t sit still. It sure beats the hell out of doing nothing.
Be blessed.
V. Ray
#PositiveBlack
#RiseShineRepeat
Design by Kelley Jackson of Skillz Rekognize Skillz
