“Never limit yourself because of others’ limited imagination; never limit others because of your own limited imagination.”
~ Mae C. Jemison
This is sage advice from the first African American woman to travel into space. When she was selected for the NASA astronaut training program in 1987 she was one of 15 out of about 2000 (Biography.com, n.d.) and the first African American woman.
One thing we all can learn from her experience is that giving up on your dream only hurts one person — you. Ultimately, everyone else around you will adjust, or in some cases, not even care. But when we give up on a dream a piece of us dies inside.
Jemison never gave up. She came from humble beginnings, worked her butt off, and didn’t take her eyes off her prize.
What’s your prize? Where are you trying to go? How do you plan to get there?
You need a plan before you can persist and then prosper.
No one can hold you back from achieving your dreams except you. There are many examples of everyday people accomplishing greatness for themselves (not for fame or fortune, necessarily.) If they can, why can’t you?
If what you want to do costs money that you don’t have, make a plan for increasing your income. Make a budget and stick to it. Give up a few “wants.”
If you’re surrounded by unsupportive people, change your environment. Is this easy? Nope. Do it anyway.
People don’t succeed in a vacuum. We all need support from someone else, even if that support isn’t direct. Think about the garbage collector who ensures all your garbage is picked up so that you don’t have to haul it away. That’s a time saving support, right? (This is a simple example just to show how interconnected we all actually are.)
Jemison had supportive people in her corner. Some she saw, some she probably never met — but all of them were there.
Here’s a plan to jump-start your process:
Step 1. Write down your dream in detail. Draw pictures if you want.
Step 2. Believe in your dream. Act as though you’re already there.
Step 3. Surround yourself with a supportive crew.
Step 4. Review your dream daily. Make one stride toward it every day.
Step 5. Read everything related to your dream.
Step 6. Find people already doing what you want to do. Study them.
It’s a simple, but effective plan that won’t cost you anything but time and attention.
Kid, you’ll move mountains! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So get on your way!
~ Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You’ll Go!
Reference:
Biography (n.d.). Mae C. Jemison. Biography.com. Retrieved December 25, 2018, from https://www.biography.com/people/mae-c-jemison-9542378
Seuss, Dr. (1990). Oh the places you’ll go. New York, NY: Random House
