Your wildest dreams aren’t going to become a reality overnight. These things take time. You might feel like you’re behind because other people in your field are moving at a faster pace, or because they reached ‘success’ at an earlier age than you, but there isn’t a time limit on when you’re allowed to accomplish your big dreams. You aren’t running out of time. Quite the contrary. The more time that passes, the more you’re growing, the more you’re learning. Every single day, you’re strengthening your skills, and sooner or later, you’re going to see your effort rewarded.
Your big dreams are propelling you forward. Even though you might be frustrated with yourself right now, or filled with doubts about whether you have what it takes to achieve your dreams, there is one thing you have that is priceless. Your passion. Your drive to succeed. Your hope for a brighter future. If you haven’t accomplished all of your goals yet, that means you have so much more to look forward to achieving. You should be excited you still have something to strive for, that all of your greatest moments aren’t memories.
You’re allowed to be disappointed in yourself. You’re allowed to be upset and angry and impatient when things aren’t panning out the way you hoped. Some days, seeing other people succeed might feel motivational, but other days, it will make you miserable. And that’s okay. Even though you’re not supposed to compare yourself, it’s going to happen from time to time. You’re allowed to be jealous of people who have what you want – as long as you remember they worked hard, too. They deserve this, too. And just because you don’t have what they have yet, it doesn’t mean it’s never going to happen for you.
The end result isn’t the only result worth celebrating. Maybe you didn’t achieve your Big Dream yet, but haven’t you achieved a lot of little dreams along the way? Haven’t you reached milestones you weren’t sure were possible? Haven’t you grown as a person, as an artist, as a businessperson? You should take some time to celebrate all the small things you’ve accomplished throughout your journey, because chances are, you have a lot to brag about already.
Whether or not you are successful is a matter of perspective. Some people believe a certain amount of money makes them successful. Others care more about their reputation or awards or promotions or social media followers. Success looks different for everyone, which means it’s all about the way you look at your career. By some metrics, you already are successful, so stop being so hard on yourself.
Your dreams are allowed to shift. You aren’t a failure or a sellout if you decide your original dream no longer serves you. You’re allowed to decide what you wanted when you were younger isn’t what you want anymore. You’re allowed to create new goals for yourself. Giving up on your old ones doesn’t mean you’re a failure. It means you’re strong enough to do what’s best for yourself. It means you’re wise enough to realize when something isn’t working. It means you should be damn proud of yourself.
