The Forgotten Monk

“Well, you know I never got to bat in the major leagues. I’d like to have my chance just once, to stare down a big league pitcher, to stare him down and just as he goes into his wind-up, wink, make him think you know something he doesn’t. That’s what I wish. A chance to squint at the sky so blue that it hurts your eyes just to look at it. To feel the tingle in your arms as you connect with the ball, to run the bases, stretch a double into a triple, and flop face-first into third, wrap your arms around the bag. That’s my wish, Ray Kinsella, that’s my wish. And is there enough magic out there in the moonlight to make this dream come true?” -”Moonlight” Graham, Field of Dreams

In Field of Goals, I asked when should you give up on a dream. I’ve thought about this for the last few days. I do honestly believe that if a person worked enough and hard enough they’d be able to accomplish anything.

However, when I watch people pursue their dreams there are three mistakes people make. The first is that when in comes to professions, oftentimes there simply isn’t enough room for everyone to achieve their dream profession. There can only be one American Idol a year out of the tens of thousands of hopefuls. There are only so many players in a professional basketball team. Not everyone can go to bat in the major leagues.

The second is, sometimes people have the wrong idea of how to get to where they want to go. I think about that aspiring actress, she had no agent, no experience and no clue. Yet, somehow she still believed she didn’t need any of that. Someone will discover her and she’ll have the lead role in a multimillion-dollar movie. All with no agent, no experience and no clue. In all honesty she’s probably still waiting to be discovered.

And the third has to do with not knowing the impact your dream will have on your life. You might achieve a dream only to find it wasn’t what you thought it would be.

When I think about the first mistake one phrase comes to mind. I don’t remember where I read it, but it went something like “Shoot for the stars and you might hit a sun. Shoot for a sun and you could miss the whole thing.” In other words, having a dream be the next American Idol is like shooting for a sun. You give yourself an all or nothing at hitting it big. A dream to be a professional singer is like shooting for the stars. You have broader playing field. You have more paths to choose from. More possibilities.

But even if you broaden your horizons, how do you get there? It’s easy to say you want to be a gourmet chef in a high-class restaurant. How do you get there? You have to find out every single thing it takes to accomplish your dream, you have to know what kind of knowledge you‘ll need to garner. You will need to know the roadmap to your destination. To own a restaurant you have to know more than to cook. You’ll have to learn to run a restaurant business. Read, interview and study the most prominent figures in the area you’re trying to get into.

Even if you know how to get where you want to go, how do you know you’re going to enjoy the view? In your study of your monks, read about their lives after they achieved what you want to achieve. How happy and satisfied are they? If you know about what kind of lifestyle you’re going to have to live after achieving your dream and if it still attractive, this alone can help you decide whether you really want to live this dream.

So that’s it, the three mistakes people make and how to avoid them. What do you think?

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