Chasing your dreams takes work. Lots and lots and lots of work.
Many people have a declining work ethic, if one at all. Before you make any assumptions though, this isn’t a Millennial problem; it’s a people problem.(PayScale) Add in even more people who do work hard, but they’re exhausted from their everyday responsibilities. For this crowd the idea of working even more to pursue their dreams is out of the question. This doesn’t change the fact that pursuing your dreams takes work.
I regularly wake up between 5:45 and 6:30 to start my day. There are multiple days every week that I work until 7:00 or 8:00 at night. It’s because I need to invest the time now so that I don’t have to work as much in ten or fifteen years. I’m making the investment now because I know the sweat equity of today is worth the payoff tomorrow.
So, how do you find time to invest the sweat equity you need to build your dreams?
How to find time in your day to pursue your dreams
It starts with changing how we talk about time. “I don’t have the time…” is a lie. You do have the time. Everyone has time. “I don’t make the time…” is a truer reflection of your scheduling priorities. You make time for what’s most important to you.
The average U.S. adult watches five hours of television every day. (NY Daily News) For those of you saying, “I don’t have cable!” watching Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Fire, those all count as TV. What if you cut down to “only” four hours a day? What if you cut out only half an hour? That’s three and a half hours every week you could give towards building a better future.
Dreams demand sweat equity. It takes putting extra effort into your side hustle to make your dreams a reality. If you can devote only fifteen minutes a day towards your dream, you will have over 91 hours invested in your dream in one year. That’s tantamount to taking a two-week leave of absence from your job to invest in your future… without losing vacation time.
What are you willing to do now to invest of your dreams of tomorrow? What type of sweat equity can you invest today that will build towards a better future? Your dream needs to be worth the demand.