A few weeks ago I saw a program on TV where four people described how they are living their dream. As I watched the program I wondered to myself – what have they all got in common that helps them live their dreams? This is what I thought:
1. They Love What they do - this is key! We would all love to get paid doing what we love, well all four of these people are, eventhough the jobs they’re doing are quite different.
2. Turning Points in their Lives - They all were having “wake up calls” or were at turning points in their lives which helped them decide to go after their dreams – the first guy Mick (see www.micschilli.ie) lost his job, loved cooking and started a business selling his own chilli sauce. Â The second guy Mick O’Donnell got knocked off his bike and nearly got rolled over by a bus. He decided life was too short not to do what you love so he started using his talents and gifts of drawing and now does it full time (see www.courtsketcher.com).
The next person a girl called Cathryn de Groot loved cooking. She had been an architect but could not get work so she decided to set up a business doing what she loved – Baking Cakes – see www.bakemycake.ie. The fourth person a lady called Debra Bowden always loved art and “always dreamt of being an artist“. She had been a hair dresser for around twenty years. She now specialises in Japanese woodblock prints and does workshops teaching it to others. See www.debra-bowden.com
3. Turned their Passion into a Business – They all have turned their passion into a business and earn an income doing what they love.
4. They know their trade and keep improving at it. Debra Bowden studied in Japan to learn more about her dream of being an artist. Cathryn de Groot got help from  Dunlaoighre Rathdown Enterprise board to help her get the business going.
5. Sharing their Talents/Services – they all use your talents and gifts as products and/or services for their clients. Mic sells his chill sauce, Mick O’Donnell sells his sketches, Cathryn sells her cakes and Debra sells her art.
So what can you do to start living your dream? What do you love? How can you turn that into a business even on a part time basis and start earning an income from it? What needs can your product and/or service address? In other words why would people want to buy what you are selling?
The program which they all appeared on can be watched up until 13 April 2011. So if you’d like to see it click on the following link:
http://www.rte.ie/news/av/2011/0323/nationwide.html#
Dare to Dream!
Seán
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Great Post Sean! One of your keys points is #4, it’s part of life-long learning! In order for us to truly live our dreams and thrive from the success of them, we have to be able to learn the trade, but remain diligent in continuous improvement of our skills.
Hi Sean,
This is one of my favorite topics. I can definitely relate to these people.
I was laid off back in 2007 and I knew I didn’t want to keep doing a job I didn’t enjoy. So I decided to try to do something online because I didn’t have any other skills and really no hobby I was passionate about. Through trial and error I have learned that what I enjoy doing is helping others. So it doesn’t matter what I’m doing online, I’m helping others learn how they too can change, do something different and have a more secure life for themselves and their families. It all comes down to whether or not you really want that change. It’s a scary place to be and there will be plenty of bumps in the road but man, the end result is so worth all those moments.
Thanks for sharing this post and the inspiring stories of these 4 people who stepped outside their comfort zones and just went for it. Love hearing these.
Adrienne
Hi Lahesha
Thanks for your comment and I agree, its all about constant improvement in our field of expertise, then we can offer so much more value to people.
Dare to Dream!
Sean
Hi Adrienne
Thanks for taking the time to comment. Being “laid off” can turn out to be a real blessing in disguise albeit that it can be quite challenging to face up to when it happens.
Keep on Dare’ing to Dream Adrienne!
Best wishes
Sean
Hey Sean. Yeah, I would agree that passion is a huge driving force for achieving success in life.
Having a passion in life that can add great value to many people’s lives, while compensating you at the same time, is what it is all about.
Absolutely Andrew, thanks for your comment. Enjoy! Sean