Begin Dreaming Forward
“Don’t wait to join a movement. A movement is just a bunch of people making moves. Be a movement. Figure out what your next move is going to be, then make it. No one is remembered for what they only planned to do.”
These words from Bob Goff, one of my favorite authors and sources of inspiration, encouraged me as I contemplated my next move from the comfort of my parents' couch. A lot of people (everyone but me, it seemed) had graduated from college with fairly streamlined careers—An internship flowed seamlessly into a full-time job with all of the trimmings: A 401k, paid vacation time, and a cozy, yet dimly lit, cubicle.
I was not one of those people; I found out that a graphic design degree is anything but linear. After a slight hiatus from my field where I escaped impending adulthood by participating in the Disney College Program at Walt Disney World, I found myself feeling stuck and unsure of what to do next. I knew I wanted a shot at the promised safety and air-conditioned bliss of an office environment, but I didn't know where I wanted to live or how to find a job. In college, people tell you how to write cover letters and format a resume, but no one really tells you how to (A) figure out what you actually want to do or (B) apply for jobs while trying to relocate to a different state. I was really just aiming to get to an area that doesn't boast six months of winter. That's all I was really looking for as I trudged through a snowy April in my hometown. At this point, I'm still working on A, but I think I have a decent handle on B at this point, and that’s what I’m here to share.
What set things in motion for me was when a close high school friend told me that she had secured a job in Raleigh, North Carolina that year. She was moving there that summer, and she happened to need a roommate, so she encouraged me to come with her. I had never been to Raleigh before. Regardless, I said that the idea sounded great and agreed to move with her. I felt a streak of sunlight shine through the April fog that had clouded my brain and my goals, and I knew what I wanted.
If we are lucky enough to be supported by those around us, we are consistently encouraged to leave our comfort zones, try new things, live in new places. But no one ever explains how to pick up your life and start anew in a different city. All of the inspirational quotes in the world won't tell you what step one of a new journey is supposed to look like. Here's what it looks like: Frightening. Overwhelming. Unachievable. A nice idea, maybe for someone else. Maybe something you'll look into next year. Or the year after that. Or when your loans are paid off. Or after your sister gets married. You'll have more time then.
We make all of the excuses in the book to stay right where we are. New places are just as uncomfortable as they are exciting. Half the fun of traveling is coming back home to your own bed, right?
We are incredibly influenced by our environments and the people we surround ourselves with. When you strip all of that away and you're sitting there with nothing but yourself and what fits in your car, what are you left with? What parts of your personality and your values are inherently yours, and which were predetermined by your hometown, your parents, or your friends? Leaving what is familiar allows you to explore the parts of yourself that are the most authentically you.
I realize that not everyone is desperate to leave their snow-ridden hometown and take off to a city they’ve never been to. But what if you challenged yourself, just for one year? What if you moved an hour away? What if you finally quit that job you hate, moved across town, and relentlessly chased your goals?”
When we finally get the guts to pack up the car, get on the highway, and sign a lease in a new city or a new state, all sorts of wonderful things can begin to happen. When we begin to move toward our goals, toward new challenges, we begin dreaming forward.