Habits That Help Make Dreams Come True

April 6, 2009 by James Pickett
Filed under Serendipity

There are thousands of people saying thousands of things that can help you focus, follow your dreams, get things done and move forward. The following is a random list of things that float around in my head every day, and help me keep moving forward. In no way am I saying you have to follow my way, I’m just sharing some things that help me, feel free to share your own in comments.

Never give up.
So far in my journey as a professional photographer I have lost it all. My ultimate goal is to be one of the greats in fashion at the level of greats like Douglas Kirkland, Annie Leibovitz, and Marcus Klinko and with this goal comes an unparalleled amount of perseverance. One winter while waiting for checks from a magazine both of my cars were repossessed, relationships have gone down the tubes, there are even times where I have given up the ability to feed myself for the sake of purchasing equipment. Many things have been accomplished in my life as a photographer, but I have only started checking off goals with a long list to go. Times will always be hard, people, geography and things will always stand in your way. The only failure is not getting through the tough times, the only failure is giving up.
Without risk there is no success.
How did anyone ever climb Mt. Everest if they didn’t accept there was a possibility of death. Bill Gates himself would not have built the Microsoft empire had he not taken a chance that he may miss a payment, or end up bankrupt. If you sat down and analyzed the risk behind everything you would never leave your house and would be compulsively cleaning it to avoid germs. There is a chance you can lose at anything, there is a chance you can get hit by a car walking across the street. If you fall down, if you lose anything, get back up and refer to number 1.
Accept defeat as an education.
Everything you do that doesn’t help you move forward, is a step away from what some people call failure. Every time something doesn’t work out establish a “why” and never repeat the action again. Some people define insanity as doing the same thing over and over expecting different results. If at first you don’t succeed, try again and try from a different angle, a different method, a different source; anything that can facilitate success. Learn from every speed bump and move forward, if all else fails refer to number 1.
There is no failure, only progression.
Every “failure” is a step forward. Every obstacle is an education. If you refuse to give up, nothing is a failure and everything is progression. Learn from everyone and everything everywhere.
Reality TV: Stop watching other people live their lives.
Reality television has made so many people sit in a chair eating Oreo’s while watching someone else live their life. Do you really think watching Ace Of Cakes is going to make you a better baker? It may give you a little inspiration, but only baking will make you a better baker. Research, practice, testing, hard work, and perseverance will make you a better baker and closer to making your dream of opening a shop come true. Watching someone else live your dream will not. It would be my general assumption that many of the people who are subjects of reality television, didn’t spend much time watching TV while they were making their dreams come true. (I am in no way picking on Duff here, he deserves 100% of my admiration and respect for what he has accomplished.)
News, if you must follow news, read a newspaper.
Knowing what is going on in the world is good, however watching violent videos and emotional expressions of frightened field reporters is not. A single still image gives you an idea of the scene while the written word is dependent entirely on your interpretation, not the visual stimuli of video and a reporter’s emotion. Reading a newspaper also allows you the luxury to skip certain stories, instead of being riveted to a television and stuck in a chair for an hour.
How did you help someone else today?
Share your knowledge with people in your field, helping other people succeed will help you succeed as well. Don’t be arrogant, learn from people and treat people well, they will return the favor. We live in such a negative world that simple kindness can change someones life. Hold a door, pick up something that the person in front of you dropped, practice random acts of kindness… You never know when you will change someone’s life with something simple.
Take a break and realize how beautiful the world is.
Remember when you used to wish upon a star? It is my job to inform you that the stars are still there, you are welcome to go for nighttime walks and stare at them free of charge. Stop on your way home from work and smell some flowers, admire a tree, or stare at the mountains… There is no law that says you have to be a robot and forget about the little things that captivated you as a child. (Butterflies tend to be amazing creatures as well.)
Try reading a book that feeds your mind, instead of your loneliness.
Danielle Steel may be great for cold winter nights, but she is not helping your career. Don’t stop reading non-fiction for a release, just rotate in something that will educate you in your chosen field of expertise. We have all worked 12 hours in a row doing what we love, but remember you are only the best because you continue to further your mind in your field.