The American D.R.E.A.M.
What is the American Dream, if not the freedom to wake up each morning and say, “I will live the Adventure of My Life. I will answer the voice that calls me to be my most authentic, most courageous, most extraordinary self. That means transforming all of my talent into skill and peak performance. It means following my conscience, no matter the obstacle and no matter the sacrifice?”
I want to approach every day that way. How do you want to approach your days? Most of us don’t have a strategy for living, we’re just running on momentum. Do you want to run on momentum? This is not about assigning rules that you must follow. It’s about you asking questions so you can take ownership of your decisions about how you want to live your life.
The problem is loss aversion. As soon as you envision the life you want to live, you envision all of the sacrifices you will need to make, and all of those sacrifices feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to make all of those sacrifices at once. Take a strategic approach to making the necessary sacrifices. Practice a strategy that devotes your time and attention to your nonnegotiable priorities. As you make progress toward your goal, remove the distractions that are disrupting your days. Sacrifice means letting go of something meaningful so you can reach for what is most meaningful. Make each sacrifice because your quest is worth that sacrifice.
Live the Adventure of Your Life. Answer the voice that calls you to be your most authentic, most courageous, and most extraordinary self. Transform all of your talent into skill and peak performance. Follow your conscience, no matter the obstacle and no matter the sacrifice. Live the American Dream. Get it while the gettin’s good.
The American Dream is the freedom to live the Adventure of Your Life by following your conscience, no matter what. What is your dream? What is the quest that your conscience compels you to pursue, no matter what? What are your talents? What is the craft you must master to live the Adventure of Your Life and complete your quest? Are you an artist, an athlete, an engineer, a philosopher, an educator, a leader, a warrior, or a healer?
Who are you, and what do you want to do about it? What is the biggest, most important problem you can solve with your talent and your skill? And what’s your plan to solve it?
Own your decisions, own your days, own your destiny.