How Burning Man Saved Me From Throwing Away My Dream

Posted on January 06, 2016 by Sarah Kalil, One of Thousands of Entrepreneurship Coaches on Noomii.

One of the things about big, unconventional dreams is that the path is rarely laid out in front of you. There is no yellow brick road; rather, the way forward is obscured, shrouded in mist. It’s an act of faith to walk forward into the unknown. Unsurprisingly, walking this path can sometimes trigger feelings of hopelessness.

I remember sitting at my computer one day, working away, when I was suddenly struck by this heart-wrenching realization: my dreams were making me miserable. It hit me like a sucker punch to the gut. I thought that I was excited about my path, I thought I was passionate, I thought that I wanted it. Well, I was and I did. But underneath all of that, all I could see was how far I still had to walk. In the face of all of my big dreams, I diminished everything I already had and everything I already achieved. Happiness was somewhere “out there.”

Can you relate to the chase? As if there is actually a destination, and when you arrive, you suddenly get everything you want?

So that day at my computer, I’m seriously wondering, “Is that it? Do I just give up? If it’s making me miserable, what am I doing here?” I wanted to curl up on the couch, wallowing in self-despair, because truly, I was at a decision-making point. Do I keep following the dream?

Unfortunately (or fortunately), wallowing was not an option. I had promised a friend that I would go to the test screening of her first feature film, Taking My Parents to Burning Man.

Great movie (seriously, you need to see it. Yes, this is a shameless plug). Everyone laughed. A lot of people cried. I cried too, at the entirely wrong time. I cried before the story even started, when my friend’s name popped up in the opening credits. Because there it was – my dream on screen. The reminder I needed for why I do anything, my “what for”, the thing the pulls me forward.

I want to create. That’s it. The whole point.

And not because I’m trying to fix something in my life right now. Because that’s who I am, and I can’t not create. Sometimes, when the journey is unknown, all there is to do is take the next step. Then the next. Then the next. To paraphrase Steve Jobs’ commencement speech at Stanford, you can’t connect the dots going forward. You have to trust that they will line up when you finally look back.

Taking My Parents to Burning Man was one of my dots. It saved my dreams, by reminding me what for.

What is your “what for”? What makes you take the next step? And then the next? Write it down. Make a Pinterest board. Get it tattooed to your face (and then send me a picture, because that is awesome.)

And, if you can relate to this, and want some support starting/continuing/completing your journey…book a call with me! Let’s see how I can help.

xoxo