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Is somebody else achieving your dream?

© Kelly L. Henderson

I read somewhere once that while I'm hemming and hawing about whether to go after that goal I've always dreamed of achieving, somebody else is either already actively working toward that very thing - or has already made that dream come true for themselves.

Maybe I'm waffling because I'm thinking: (1) It's impossible; (2) I'm not smart enough; (3) I'll never be able to figure out how to do it; (4) My family will laugh at me for trying; (4) Poor me, the fates are against me. Etcetera, etcetera.

But while I'm standing around handicapped by my own thinking, somebody else with similar intelligence and resources is just getting down to business. They may even have the very same doubts as I do, but they are not allowing those things to hold them back.

My great regret is that I did not have a career of some kind in music. Decades after a few years of childhood lessons, I started studying the piano seriously at 40. I have made a lot of progress in the five years since but sometimes I wonder, is it too late for me? Is this just a fond, foolish dream? Do I have enough years left to learn to play as well as I dream of?

The other day I saw an article in the local newspaper about a woman who took up saxophone five years ago. Today she is making a modest living busking on a downtown street. She is 51 years old. Yes, she admits, I don't make enough to live extravagantly, but I'm getting by and I'm pursuing my passion. Not only that but I want to be as good a player as I can be. Much of her income goes toward paying a teacher who is helping her achieve that goal.

So while I'm brooding and wasting energy on feelings of regret, she is not only actively working away at her passion, she is making a living from it. Yet, we have been seriously working at our instruments the same amount of years.

Now, I am not saying that you should compare your experiences and your gifts and talents with those of other people. No two of us have walked down the same road in life. Our challenges have been unique, and we can never duplicate the exact experience of another.

But we can learn much from people who are working toward our dream! Here's what I learned from reading the article about the late-in-life saxophonist - and I have a feeling the very same qualities will help you achieve your dream, whatever it may be:

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