Never Give Up!
Posted on November 14, 2010 by Leon van der Poel, One of Thousands of Business Coaches on Noomii.
What happens to our dreams as we grow up? We all have dreams as kids, and somehow they gte lost as we get older. Why is this? What happens to us?
When we were kids, we all had big dreams. Unfortunately, as we grow up and get older most people forget about their dream and eventually even forget that they had one! Are you one of them? If so, don’t feel bad because the unfortunate reality is that you never had a chance… your environment was against you. Until now that is. Let me explain why.
It is interesting how the support we receive from our environment changes as we get older. When we were infants and throughout our toddler years we get nothing but encouragement from everyone around us. We are supported in our belief that we can be anything we want to be. Just think of it…remember how excited the people around you were (especially your parents) when you managed to turn yourself around, when you started to crawl?… Oh man, and the cheers when you finally managed to take that first step! The encouragement, the excitement, the support, there seemed to be no limit to it.
At some point though, sometime during our teenage years, everything changed. Rather than “Go on…you can do it!” we started to hear more and more things along the lines of “What!? Are you crazy? Who do you think you are?” and “Forget it – it’s impossible”, or “Stop dreaming, be real”. It seems that all the people that we could count on for support and encouragement, have become the ones DIScouraging us most. Why? What happened to “You can do it” and “You can be anything you want”? Did we suddenly become incapable? What happened is that their excitement turned into fear.
The world we live in is based on fear. The vast majority of what we are bombarded with by the different media, is all about fear. Whether this is on purpose or not, or why this is, is a different story; but most of what we are told ultimately results in instilling fear. Fear stands for “False Events Appearing Real”. Rarely do the things we are afraid of actually happen. Worrying and having doubts is as effective as sitting in a rocking chair – you invest a lot of energy without getting anywhere! Nowadays we are all about saving energy… to be more efficient. Be ecological with your own energy – invest and use it wisely. Use it for what you DO want, and don’t waste it on anything that doesn’t help you get closer to your goals, objectives and realization of your dreams.
Maybe the people around us simply are afraid that we fail, and their discouraging behaviour is to protect us from ourselves. Obviously our friends and family have our best interest at heart, right? While this may be what you might think, you’d be wrong. They are probably not even aware of it themselves, but they are more afraid of your success than your failure. You see, if you decide to pursue your dream and you succeed it will have a huge impact on them. It may make them remember their dream, and realize that they never had the courage to go for it.
Would a baby have learned half of the things it has, if it hadn’t been in a supporting and encouraging environment? What would have happened with the baby’s development if everyone around her would have discouraged her to try anything?
One more thing…it is never too late to go after your dream and to pursue your passion. Even when you currently have obligations like a mortgage, rent to pay, a family to provide for, etc. The decision to pursue your passion doesn’t have to be an all or nothing proposition. I’m an example of this myself. I didn’t discover my purpose and passion until relatively recently. I have obligations… a job, a family to provide for, a mortgage to pay, etc. I’m not that different from you. How I may be different from you, is that I decided to go after my dream and to pursue my passion. Are there people around me who think that I’ve lost my mind? Sure. Do I also have people around me who are supportive? Sure.
Every time you start to think that you’ll never accomplish your goals or realize your dreams, think about those fearless infants. Imagine the unstoppable drive and everlasting courage an infant has to learn. No fear of failure exists in the infant’s mind, because there is no preconceived notion of what is possible and what isn’t. As a result the infant never gives up, learns new things and accomplishes new milestones every day.
Dare to dream. Surround yourself with people who encourage and support you. Find a coach you are comfortable with to be your guide. You know for sure that your coach will support you. Lastly, whatever you do… NEVER GIVE UP!
Respectfully yours,
Leon van der Poel
“Transforming lives by spreading the excitement and joy for the amazing opportunities available to everyone in this wonderful life.”
