Don't die with the music still in you

Dr Wayne Dyer mentioned, in a seminar, about a man that lived his whole life according to other people's expectations.  He realized at the end of his life that he was wrong and should have focused on what he knew he should be doing, rather than what others told him he should do.  Dr Dyer goes on to say how impactful that was on his own life and how he promised himself not to die with the music still inside him.  

Hearing this story, I realized that I too, was living according to someone else's expectations.  I determined that there were areas of my life that I felt I had great potential but never seemed able to bring my “music” to life.  I devoted years to exploring this and finally determined a process that I use when I feel inspiration to move in a new direction.  

The first step in the process is to get curious about it.  Explore opportunities and try to get a much more thorough understanding of what it entails to accomplish this goal and what will come with the completion of this goal.  This step can uncover motivations or potential obstacles and it is important to get a clear understanding of what it is you are actually going after.

The next step is to develop a written plan.  If you are starting a business, advisors will tell you that you have to have a business plan.  The same is true for personal goals.  Having clear, written steps to take to achieve your goal is incredibly valuable, even if you need to make changes later and the plan gets modified.  Having a written plan is a must if you are serious about moving in this new direction.

The third step is to develop a system to achieve the goal.  This is often the missing link for people.  They get motivated to do something and may even start to move towards their goal, but they are unable to maintain the momentum and inspiration and it becomes just another unfulfilled wish.  The system should be created to move you towards accomplishment of the goal over time, in a systematic way.  Even areas that seem as though they are a one-time event, such as a standup comedy performance, take time to develop the skills necessary to reach that objective.  

What I found was that it was not often the end result that actually mattered, it was the journey that I took.  I learned more from the process of writing a book than I did from achieving that goal and I never would have achieved that goal if I didn't proceed systematically towards that accomplishment.  Systematically following plans is the key to learning how to uncover hidden talents and strengths and to move closer to living a fulfilled life.  Whatever it is that you want to do, what your "music" is, follow these steps to accomplish your goals and dreams and make sure you don't die with the music still inside you!