Fulfilling Your Dreams
Facing Forward
Guest Blogger: Ken La Salle
“Don’t let 2013 discourage you, even if it is an unlucky number,” my friend, Brad, told me over a few beers. Little did he know I was considering what to write about on Recovering the Self this month. Last year, I wrote about assessing and reassessing your plans and strategies for the previous year, but I know better than anyone how easy it is to get discouraged. And, I suppose, for some people that number 13 might get in the way as well.
You see, I wasn’t always Mister Up-beat-talking-about-going-after-my-dreams. Not at all. I used to get very discouraged over every setback, and I certainly saw each New Year as a large setback indeed! I’d think, “There goes another year.” I’d watch it go right by me, missed opportunities and all.
The difference between that guy and the person writing this article? Now, when the new year comes, I face forward, focus on the horizon, and look for what opportunities the new year will bring. It’s really that simple: turning from one direction to the other.
And the New Year is a terrific time to make that shift in direction because, after all, everyone is facing that way. So many people talk about New Year’s Resolutions and the like, it’s very easy to go with the flow and face the same direction as everyone else. You don’t have to make a resolution. In fact, if you ask me, a single resolution is small-time thinking.
If you shift your attention forward, you can go from looking for one opportunity in the New Year – I hate the term “resolution” because it’s so inflexible – to really planning out your strategies for the entire year ahead.
In my own case, I’ve been looking forward to the New Year for about a month now. After all, my wife and I make our holiday plans long before they come around. That leaves me with plenty of time to look out into the coming year and see what opportunities are coming my way. If I can’t see any, I make some. My dreams deserve no less!
My plans for the beginning of 2013 are very ambitious and I’d like to share one with you right now. Once the year begins, and just as this article goes live on the Recovering the Self site, I’ll begin distribution for a new podcast called So Dream Something. Twice each month, I’ll interview someone who is pursuing their dream and we’ll talk about what it’s like to be a dreamer and what they’re doing to make their dreams come true.
This podcast has been such a great fit that I’ve been enthusiastic about its release since my wife, Vicky, and I first began discussing it late in November. Anyone who has read my work – either here on Recovering the Self, in The Worth of Dreams The Value of Dreamers, or in my book Climbing Maya – knows how enthusiastic I am about our passions in life. Our passions to understand, to experience, to love, to find fulfillment, are essential to making us into the people we wish we could be.
That’s what dreams are: not ends in themselves, but means toward the end of self-discovery and fulfillment.
And that’s why that shift from the past to the future, from regret to discovery, is so important. No longer are you watching who you could have been slip from your grasp. Now, you are facing the person you wish to become, taking an active role in your own creation, going after your dream.
I hope you’ll enjoy So Dream Something as we shift our focus toward our passions in life twice each month. If you are pursuing your dream, I’d love to hear from you. You can contact me through Recovering the Self – just leave me a comment below – or through my website at www.kenlasalle.com.
It’s like Brad said, “2013 is only unlucky if we let it be. Otherwise, it can be a great year.”
About the Author
Ken La Salle is an author and playwright out of Anaheim, California. His passion is intense humor, meaningful drama, and finding answers to the questions that define our lives. You can find his books on Amazon and Smashwords and all major etailers. His philosophical memoir, Climbing Maya, is available in ebook and paperback. His audio book, The Worth of Dreams The Value of Dreamers, is available on iTunes, Audible, and all major etailers. You can follow Ken’s writing career on his website at www.kenlasalle.com.
